Sudbury educators link insufficient staffing and violence in the classroom to provincial underfunding

Educators in Sudbury are once again raising alarm about violence in schools, arguing chronic underfunding is leading to unwieldy class sizes and reduced staffing that create frustrated students who lash out.

They made a similar plea in September 2023, when students returned to the classroom after pandemic disruptions.

At an event hosted by Sudbury MPP Jamie West, unions for local teachers and early childhood educators described examples of how they feel underfunding is failing students.

The president of the Rainbow local of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO), Liana Holm described an incident that a teacher reported to her.

She said a student, distraught at having lost a shoe, started swinging a backpack at other students. 

The teacher intervened to find out what happened and the student charged her, pushing her against a wall. 

The teacher called for help but staff were dealing with other incidents.

The teacher used non-violent crisis intervention techniques and help arrived about 45 minutes later.

"Keep in mind that while all of this is happening to our educators, students are watching these incidents," said Holm.

"They take a toll on everyone. Violence and disregulation is becoming normalized. This is alarming and cannot be sustained."

The union and West say the province has cut funding on average per student by $1,500 since 2018, when adjusted for inflation.

He said there are now five to six students with special needs in classes that include 35 students.

A mother of one such student described how her family has had to wait to get him help

Jessica Montgomery is president of the Sudbury District Labour Council, but was speaking as a mother when she explained how access to help for her son is getting harder.

"We have dealt with accommodation issues when he fractured his tibia and fibula last year, along with accessibility issues," she said.

"We have faced long wait lists for much-needed testing to help with his communication disorder. And every year we have had to pay out of pocket for resources and tools necessary to bridge his gaps."

Regardless, Montgomery says she feels lucky to afford outside assistance that many other families cannot.

The plea for funding also came for people who work with teachers in the classroom.

Gina McAfee represents 64 early childhood educators at the Rainbow board.

She works in a kindergarten classroom where there's a limit of 32 students per class.

McAfee says the children range in age from three to six and are needing more help than in the past.

"The children that are coming to us are less prepared socially, emotionally," she said. "Even toilet training is a challenge that we haven't seen in numbers that we have in the past. The supports that are lacking in the classroom are failing our little people."

School board, Ministry of Education, say funding and resources are up

In a statement, the Rainbow board says the province prioritizes mental health and the board has been able to increase its staffing within the school mental health team in support of students.

It says it also has educational programs in schools to promote safe learning and teaching environments.

A spokesperson for the Ontario ministry of education says the government has made historic investments in education including $29 billion in funding to school boards for the 2024/25 school year, the largest investment in Ontario's education system. 

It says the Rainbow District School Board funding has increased to over $227.6 million, despite relatively stable enrolment, while the Sudbury Catholic District School Board was provided over $104.8 million despite declining enrolments.

It says it has also increased special education funding year over year to more than $3.5 billion this school year and supported the hiring of 9,000 additional education staff, and provided $118 million in mental health supports.