"This week’s report from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO) lays bare the devastating consequences of the Ford Conservative government’s neglect of Ontario’s publicly funded education system. The findings cannot be ignored:

• Four in 10 Ontario schools are currently in a state of disrepair. If funding levels remain insufficient, that number will jump up to seven in 10 schools by 2034.
• The Ford government’s inadequate budget is $12.7 billion less than what is needed to repair schools and meet the demand of growing student enrollment numbers over the next decade.
• This school year alone, there are 150,881 more students than available classroom spaces, forcing schools to house students in portables and other temporary learning spaces.
• The province needs to build the equivalent of 227 new schools over the next decade to accommodate growing capacity needs – a necessity they are woefully behind on.

Our schools need help – there is no viable plan from this government to save them. Ontario students and families deserve better. The Ford government must immediately prioritize investment in education infrastructure to ensure safe, modern, and equitable learning environments for every child in the province. This needs to be a wake-up call, before Doug Ford’s neglect and damage become irreversible.”

- René Jansen in de Wal, President of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association