Teachers say Premier Doug Ford is creating "chaos" in their classrooms.
Jen Hare, bargaining unit president for Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) District 17 Simcoe, which represents around 1,100 full-time secondary teachers in the county's public board, said the Ford government's approach to education is negatively affecting the mental health of students, teachers and support staff.
Hare says it has been hard on teachers, not knowing what's coming next.
"There's no rhyme or reason," she told BarrieToday during a town hall meeting Tuesday night. "We've learned to dread Friday afternoons, because there's always a bad bomb dropped on Friday afternoon. This is not the way to communicate with people."
That often leads to a flurry of phone calls from members when union officials haven't even had a chance to sift through the news.
Around 50 people, mostly teachers and support staff, attended Tuesday's meeting in the Barrie City Hall Rotunda to discuss their concerns with Ontario's education system. They were divided into groups to come up with messages they'd like Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey to hear as part of ongoing provincial consultations, which ends Friday.
"We want to present Doug with specifics: Things they are concerned about, questions they still have and actions they want to see him take, so he can respond," Hare said.
Organizers had a chair set up for the politician with a sign reading 'Reserved for MPP Doug Downey.'
Downey told BarrieToday he was unable to attend Tuesday's meeting due to a previously scheduled engagement at Queen's Park.
“This was communicated to the organizers," the MPP wrote in an email. "My schedule rarely allows for booking of riding events between Monday and Thursdays when the Legislature is sitting."
Hare says she would "love to hear more" from Downey on the topic of education.
"Doug Downey is very personable. He wants to talk to people," she said. "I felt he would attend this evening to be an actual voice in our community. He could be and he's choosing not to be. Our MPPs should be our voice at Queen's Park and they're being silenced."
Downey says he has met with several local teachers, parents, trustees and union representatives to hear their feedback, "and I encourage continued communication."
"Through the budget, we recently announced that we are investing more in education in 2019-2020 than the previous government committed for 2018-2019," he said, noting an increase of more than $5.4 million in funding for schools in the local public and Catholic boards for the 2019-20 school year.
"With every change our government has made, we have improved the education system in a responsible and measured way, and have taken unprecedented steps to invite our partners to work with us," Downey said.
While Downey points out that education funding has increased, Hare says with more students coming into the system there will be less teachers per student.
"I know Doug Downey is big on saying they're giving more money, but what's happening is they're increasing the tasks," she said. "The number (of teachers) per student is falling."
High-school class sizes are expected to grow from 22 to 28 students over the next four years.
The OSSTF says larger class sizes coincides with a 25 per cent reduction in teaching positions, and a subsequent loss of access to courses and program options.
Tuesday's meeting was a chance to gather comments as part of the public consultation period on education. The union groups held a similar event in Innisfil in mid-April, and hope to hold a meeting in Orillia for Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop.
Kelly Martin, president of the OPSEU local representing more than 1,900 support staff in Simcoe County District School Board facilities, says the consultations are just a way for the government to say they listened before making any cuts.
Premier Doug Ford "is starting to target teachers in the media and we believe he wants to divide and conquer with support staff and teachers," Martin said. "We're standing more and more united and trying to stand together, that it's education workers in Ontario and not just teachers."
Martin says 32 support staff have been told their jobs will be considered surplus next year.
"An increase in class sizes, that means less students are going to have support," she said. "Every day, it's a new cut and it all affects us."
The effect on support staff is something Martin says she hears about every day.
"We're pulled in every direction and we don't stop," she said. "We do all outdoor duties, we do bus duty and we are supporting somewhere from six to 12 kids a day. We have kids that are beating the shit out of us and we're wearing personal protective equipment, with all of the aggression. And the burnout. And they're on us about our sick time. We're afraid."
Hare said the provincial government doesn't understand how funding for teachers works, and there has been a lot of catching up. She says the Simcoe County District School Board had to declare 69 teachers redundant, a number much higher than required.
Today, that number is actually closer to 15, she said.
Hare says there was no reason for those 54 teachers to be left in limbo, which weights heavily on their mindset. Being handed a redundancy notice brings up many thoughts -- from meeting mortgage payments to affording daycare costs -- while then having to go back to the classroom and put on a brave face for their students.
"They were forced to deal with this for absolutely no reason," Hare said. "It's a lot of strain on their mental health."
Martin hopes people will write letters to their MPPs expressing any concerns.
"That's the only way they're hearing it right now, is bombarding them with letters," she said. "Everyone's concerned there's going to be a potential strike or are we going to walk out? Is this the time? What are we going to do?"
