Larger classes, fewer educational assistants and specialized staff, and fewer self-contained classes, where students with higher needs learn in a smaller group: the Halton District School Board, which runs Burlington's public schools, says that is what happens when provincial special-education funding doesn't fully cover what students need. Education Minister Paul Calandra's reply defends the current funding model, and trustees see it at their meeting Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The board asked the minister for increased and sustainable funding in a letter dated Sept. 1, signed by Amy Collard as board chair and as trustee for Burlington's Ward 5. It says it spends significantly more on those programs than the province gives it, but it didn't put a dollar figure on the gap.
Calandra's answer points to how the money works. The province's Special Education Fund can be spent only on students with special needs, though boards may top it up from their other core education funding. The model, he says, accounts for differences in needs, geography, language and socio-demographics from one board to the next.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the J.W. Singleton Education Centre, 2050 Guelph Line, and is livestreamed.
