A Message from Education Action: Toronto

Dear Friends,

If it is at all possible for you to attend one of the fiscal update meetings of the TDSB, we hope you can do so. They are billed as consultation meetings, but really they are nothing more than a time for the Board to lay out its fiscal dilemma. Seeing that layout in detail, however, is worth the effort. The coming cutbacks over the next three years are far worse than we could have imagined. The bottom line is as follows:

REVISED PRELIMINARY SHORTFALL: For 2009-10 $39.3m, for 2010-11 $37.1m, and for 2011-12 $44.7m.

In March 2009, the Board approved staff reductions of 36 teacher librarians ($3.0m), 150 Education Assistants ($5.9m), 20 Special Education Teachers ($1.7 m) and 28 Caretakers ($1.6m) for a total of $12.2m. That leaves $27.1m still to cut for 2009-10.

The cuts and the sell-off of school properties to deal with this shortfall are very extensive and hugely destructive of our children's education.

Download the document Toronto District School Board Fiscal Context: Budget Consultation - 2009 - 2010 for more details.

The next budget update meetings are as follows:

• Tuesday, May 12, 2009 7:30 - 9 p.m. Meeting Rooms 3 & 4 - Scarborough Education Centre, 140 Borough Drive, Scarborough, M1P 4N6 RT: Scarborough Centre
• Wednesday, May 13, 2009 7:30 - 9 p.m. Cafeteria - Toronto District School Board Head Office, 5050 Yonge Street, North York, M2N 5N8 Subway: North York Centre
• Tuesday, May 19, 2009 7:30 - 9 p.m. Cafeteria - Rosedale Heights School of the Arts 711 Bloor Street East, Toronto M4W 1J4 Subway: Castle Frank

There is also an important emergency meeting on the cuts called by Trustees Chris Bolton, Maria Rodrigues, Cathy Dandy, and Irene Atkinson. They would like to hear from you!

PLACE: Bickford Centre Auditorium 777 Bloor Street West (Christie & Bloor)
DATE: MAY 14, 2009
TIME: 7:00pm - 9:00pm
*Childcare is Available*

If there was ever a moment to put pressure on our school trustees to hold the line and say NO to these cuts, this is it. Put Wednesday, June 24 on your agenda to go down to the Board to protest these cuts and to insist our trustees stand fast against them. June 24 is the date of the regular Board meeting when these cuts will be voted on. The meeting begins at 4:30 pm, but is likely to continue to well into the night. Get there when you can.

In solidarity,

George Martell and Faduma Mohamed
Co-chairs, Education Action: Toronto