The Toronto District School Board has unanimously approved a back to school plan that will involve dipping into reserve funding and spending millions on hiring additional teachers.
The TDSB finance committee approved a $38.7 million dollar plan to support smaller class sizes.
It will allow for the hiring of 280 teachers. The Ministry of Education will be responsible for funding the hiring of 86 more teachers.
That will mean an additional 766 teachers at the elementary level to support smaller class sizes.
Despite the hiring of more teachers, Carlene Jackson, the TDSB's Interim Director of Education, tells our sister station CP24 there are limits to what they can achieve.
"We do not have the resources to lower class sizes across the system to the point where we would have the recommended distancing of two metres everywhere, however, health and safety is a priority for both staff and our board and we are looking at options to enhance these measures as much as possible."
Now, when it comes to smaller class sizes, the board decided to go with the option that means even if schools use all the available space in their buildings, 34 elementary schools will have
space issues, if 100 per cent of students return to the classroom, while four schools would run into space issues, if just 80 per cent of students return.
Another major development today?
The board is expected to delay the start of the school year by a week - to September 15th - with a staggered start around that date.
Andrew Gold, Employee Services Executive Superintendent with the TDSB, spoke with our media partner CTV News Toronto about finalizing the schedule.
"We're finalizing a staggering schedule, but we are looking at Tuesday, September 15th being the first day that students will enter school and then taking two to three days for that to continue."
CTV News