WRDSB parents, teachers’ union frustrated with class reorganization and support staffing

Five weeks into the new school year and parents of children in the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) are already raising concerns about classroom shuffling and a supposed lack of support staff.

Sandra, who didn’t want her last name included, said her son is a Grade 2 student at Oak Creek Public School in Kitchener and next week he’ll be moved to a new class with a new teacher.

“The children are just getting settled in. They're just getting comfortable in their routines with their teachers and now they have to move around classes,” she explained.

The reshuffling also means more students in one classroom.

“The more children we keep putting into these classrooms, the more challenging it becomes for the students to learn.”

According to the WRDSB, reorganizing classes a month into the school year isn’t a new practice. Scott Miller, the board’s associate director, said these types of changes are also not unique to the public board.

“Actually, this is an annual process we always go through early in the school year and it is dictated by ministry guidelines,” Miller said in an interview with CTV News.

He also understands the concern expressed by families.

“We recognize that changes at this time of the school year is difficult for students, it's difficult for staff and certainly for families. And our school leaders.”

Jeff Pelich, president of Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario - Waterloo Region (ETFO-WR), shared how it will impact teachers.

“On Tuesday, teachers are going to be going right back to what they were doing in September, building the routines [and] building the habits of the students so that they understand what the expectations are,” he said.

Support staff needed

Almedin Jupic is a father of three and recently made the decision to move his son, who has special needs, from a public school to a private one.

“We had him in the public school system for two years and he just wasn't getting the support that he needed,” he explained.

Both parents and the union say there aren’t enough support staff, like educational assistants (EAs). As a result, some students are falling behind.

“When the EA is absent, they're also not being replaced, because there are just not enough people wanting to do that job,” Pelich said.

Sandra doesn’t blame the teachers, just the lack of staff.

“Now what's happening is the responsibility lies on that main teacher to manage these students with these needs, as well as the rest of the classroom,” she said. “If the classroom sizes keep increasing, how can the teacher manage all of this?”

The WRDSB said the EAs they have this year meet the status quo and that hasn’t changed recently.

“With the resources we have, we are doing the best we can to serve our students,” Miller said.

Enrollment questions

ETFO-WR claims there’s been more reorganizing and shuffling of classrooms this year.

“We've never seen it quite as bad as it was this year,” Pelich said.

He estimates around 60 schools within the board are impacted, and believes enrollment numbers are to blame.

“Why is enrollment down in the WRDSB when we know that the region is growing?” Pelich asked. “To us, that is a big concern and that needs to be identified.”

CTV News asked the WRDSB about enrollment numbers. They did not confirm if enrollment was up or down, but did say reorganizing is a response to both increases and decreases in enrollment.

“When working through this process, we continue to follow staffing processes as directed by Ministry of Education requirements and in collaboration with unions to ensure we uphold collective agreements to determine staffing allocations for the 2024-25 school year,” Miller stated in a statement to CTV News.

Ministry of Education reacts

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said Ontario teachers are among the highest paid in the country. They also pointed out that government funding increases for public education are at “historic levels,” while supporting the hiring of 9,000 more education staff, including 3,500 education assistants.

“The Waterloo Region District School Board has received an increase of $28.6 million in core education funding while student enrollments remained relatively stable,” said Edyta McKay, Minister Jill Dunlop’s spokesperson.

The ministry also noted that all school boards are expected to ensure there is minimal disruption to students when they reorganize classes, based on actual student enrollment, after the school year starts.