The Toronto District School Board is making deep cuts to its support staff in an effort to cut down on its $23-million deficit.
At a meeting Wednesday night, the TDSB narrowly voted to cut 150 education assistants and 36 teacher librarian positions.
The job cuts are expected to save the board nearly $9 million. The cuts were approved by the board by a vote of 10 to nine.
The board also voted to slightly increase the size of classes in Toronto's neediest neighbourhoods to 20 students, up one from 19 children currently in a classroom.
The increase in class size was suggested as a way to eliminate more than 50 teaching jobs but TDSB trustees voted instead to shuffle staff wherever the board needs them most.
Several trustees voiced concern over cutting librarian jobs, saying it is a threat to the students' progress in literacy. However, former board chair Sheila Ward warned her colleagues that if they don't make the cuts, the province might come in to do it themselves.
Current Board Chair John Campbell said the cuts are justified because of a steady decrease in enrolment numbers.
In other matters, the board voted to open school as usual, the day after Labour Day. There was talk of shortening the summer break by having kids start school the week before Labour Day.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of high school teachers rallied outside TDSB headquarters in North York. They were protesting conditions of a new contract proposal that demands teachers do supervision duties for an extra 30 minutes a week.
The union representing the teachers said supervision duties was not part of the framework agreement that was worked out in December.
