This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. As a society, we have to figure out a way to make the return to school both successful and safe.When the province unveils its back-to-school plan this week, it should also provide its own estimate of the cost — and assure Ontarians that it will find the money. to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about It’s vital for both the kids and for their parents, especially working women who are already losing ground in the workforce because of the pandemic.The Liberals’ list includes $1.3 billion for 15,000 elementary teachers to reduce class sizes to 15 and $170 million for secondary teachers.
To order copies of We can’t have more labour unrest because teachers feel their safety concerns are not being heard. All signs are the bill will indeed be big, but it’s important that the government make it clear that it’s prepared to find the money. Ultimately, there are certain risks that will have to be taken, but let’s also remember that each day children are out of school presents increased social, health and economic risks to children and parents. Republication or distribution of this content is
Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government unveiled its back-to-school plan on Thursday, setting aside just over $300 million in additional funding and saying many high school … They say the government should plan on spending another $200 million for 14,000 new classrooms in locations like community centres and arenas, plus $500 million for 10,000 caretakers and $120 million for cleaning supplies and equipment.The total cost, they say, will be a daunting $3.2 billion.Meanwhile, CUPE, which represents 55,000 school support staff, estimates it will cost about $1.49 per student per day, or nearly $590 million, just to pay for basics like hand sanitizer, personal protective equipment, extra custodians and opening up unused rooms in schools to accommodate smaller classes. There’s not a lot of time left to lean in and create a workable plan that gets our kids back in school where they belong. Lecce announced an additional $10 million in mental health funding for children, which is always welcome, but the best move for our children’s mental health is a return to school, where they can learn, socialize and re-establish a healthy routine. For the best scenario to work — in-class full-time instruction — hygiene must be paramount, which has not always been the case in our schools, as parents can attest. Will that be enough? That’s only a week away.We don’t know if the cost estimates from the Liberals and CUPE will turn out to be accurate. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto rights reserved. To order Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6 presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution
It’s unclear how much money the province is going to direct toward enhanced cleaning to fight the coronavirus and for hygiene promotion. Lecce said on Friday that potentially 2,000 more custodians could be hired and an additional $4 million has been set aside for cleaning supplies. To order Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. Toronto Star articles, please go to:Never miss the latest news from the Star, including up-to-date coronavirus coverage, with our email newslettersThe Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution Ontario’s parents and teachers have begun planning for back-to-school season now that the province has released its plan for September, with some saying they’re concerned the strategy doesn’t do enough to protect kids from the threat of COVID-19.
permissions/licensing, please go to:Reopening schools in September so that children can attend all day, every day, in a way that’s safe for everyone is going to be expensive. For the past month, the hybrid model has been looking like the inevitable option, mainly because no price tag has been put on all-day, in-class learning and there’s been no commitment from the government to foot the bill, regardless of cost.
Now we’re starting to get a better idea of how much it will take to reopen schools. Too many other questions remain, as well.
The next 200 subscribers before August 1st get a 1 in 10 chance to win a Canada's National Observer T-shirt or hoodie. So much is unknown that it’s hard to say how big the bill will be.But whatever the exact amount, it will be money well spent. Toronto Star articles, please go to:Never miss the latest news from the Star, including up-to-date coronavirus coverage, with our email newslettersThe Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star
Last Friday, Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce instead Ontario’s two million students have been out of school for more than three months and school is set to resume in 12 weeks — and still no hard decisions have been made. permissions/licensing, please go to:The Ontario government has so far failed to develop a plan to get our children back to school.