The Toronto District School Board is calling on the Ford government for additional funding as it desperately searches for ways to reduce its budget deficit to avoid being taken over by the province.
The school board and the provincial government are at odds over how to address a $58 million deficit for the 2025-26 school year. A report presented to the board’s budget committee last week outlined a range of potential money-saving measures, including closing swimming pools and cutting the Itinerant Music Program.
“They should not do it on the backs of students. They should not do it by firing teachers, and they should not do it by closing down pools,” said Education Minister Paul Calandra. “That is not what I would allow to happen. There are other avenues to do it.”
Calandra has threatened to take over several school boards should they fail to balance their budgets. The TDSB had pitched a plan to save money in the fall that would bring its deficit down to $11 million. But the Ford government rejected that plan and said it would appoint a financial investigator to look into its finances.
“The investigators will certainly work through all parts of their finances and then make a suggestion to me whether additional action is required,” said Calandra.
The TDSB says finding savings isn’t cut and dry, urging the education minister to meet to discuss budget pressures.
The board estimates that there is a $1,500 shortfall in per-student funding, amounting to more than $300 million each school year. It is also asking for the moratorium on school closures to end so it can close underutilized schools, saying it’s spending money to maintain and operate older buildings that are no longer in a state of good repair. And it continues to pay millions in increased statutory benefits and salaries for teachers and Early Childhood Educators.
“The actual pay that we give our staff …that is $70 million. Let me remind you our deficit is $58 million. That alone can address the deficit that we are facing,” said TDSB chair Neethan Shan.
Trustees have welcomed the province’s investigator, who has until the end of the month to report back to Calandra. In the meantime, the education minister confirms he will oblige the board’s request for a meeting.
The budget committee will hold a special meeting on May 15, but no final decisions on the budget are expected until the end of June.
