A group of Toronto District School Board trustees will gather at Queen's Park Wednesday to ask the government for "flexibility" as the board struggles to balance a $110-million funding shortfall.
Provincial funding is down $12 million for the 2012-13 school year, while the board is being asked to open new full-day kindergarten classes, said trustee Irene Atkinson in a release Tuesday.
"The province reduced our funding by $12 million dollars this year and mandated us to open 303 new full-day kindergarten classes," said Atkinson. "We cannot continue to strip staff from the rest of the school in order to pay for the province's full-day kindergarten initiative."
According to provincial law, the school board is required to balance its budget by June 30, 2012. If members fail to do so, the board can be put under provincial supervision.
The TDSB has already cut $50.6 million, which eliminated a total of 833 jobs, including 460 educational assistant positions, 134 office staff and 17 elementary vice-principal positions.
The board is now looking at a second round of cuts, worth $58.2-million, in order to get its budget in the black.
Those cuts would eliminate administrative positions and could mean closing some school cafeterias, changes to special education programs and fewer travel and conference opportunities for staff.
Though the trustees have not yet released their demands, trustee Chris Glover said the province usually gives boards a one per cent flexibility in funding shortfalls.
Trustees will release more details at a press conference Wednesday at 10 a.m.
