(Canada) Toronto: District facing $42M (US) deficit plans to expand SPED class size

June 16, 2025, Trillium: Teachers warn of safety risks as TDSB plans to expand special ed class sizes

https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/education-and-training/teachers-warn-safety-risks-tdsb-plans-expand-special-ed-class-sizes-10817162 

Teachers who spoke with TorontoToday say student numbers in specialized classrooms for disabled children already go beyond what’s safe, resulting in frequent student and teacher injuries 

Amidst a heated battle with the provincial government over its 2025-26 budget, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has proposed increasing class sizes next year for some of its specialized programs for students with disabilities. 

The decision would affect hundreds of the board’s most vulnerable learners citywide.

In its 2025-26 special education plan, TDSB staff have proposed increasing class sizes for diagnostic kindergartens — specialized junior and senior kindergarten classes for disabled students — from an existing cap of eight students per teacher, to up to 10 students. 

TDSB staff have also proposed an increase for specialized junior school classes for students with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) — from an existing 14 students per teacher to up to 16.  

Children in the diagnostic kindergarten classes, typically three and four years old, are among the students with the most complex learning needs boardwide and often have multiple disabilities. 

One TDSB diagnostic kindergarten teacher gave an example of a child in her class who has a traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder, gross and fine motor challenges, a vision impairment and autism. 

With the right resources, the teacher said this student and her peers can thrive, but that the board’s proposal to increase diagnostic kindergarten class sizes feels like a “betrayal.”

TorontoToday spoke with four instructors and three parents who said the plan to increase class sizes is a misguided and dangerous attempt by the board to cut costs amidst a budget crisis. 

Instructors, who spoke anonymously out of fear of repercussions, said class sizes in these specialized programs already go beyond what’s safe, resulting in frequent student and teacher injuries. 

At a program and school services committee meeting earlier this month, TDSB special education system superintendent Debbie Donsky said the planned class size increases will boost “access” to the diagnostic kindergarten and junior MID programs by allowing students to get off existing wait lists faster.  

She said increasing class sizes will also enable the TDSB to better “align” with the province’s existing class size caps. 

However, earlier this spring, the TDSB proposed running a $58-million deficit [$42M US] for 2025-26, but the Ministry of Education refused, demanding balanced books from the country’s largest school board. 

While TDSB staff have proposed scrapping music programs, shuttering pools and reducing student access to laptops, they insist support for disabled students is not on the chopping block. 

But parents and teachers disagree, arguing the decision to expand class sizes is effectively a reduction in services. 

Teachers report kicking, punching and other classroom violence

Four instructors — three teachers and one educational assistant — who work in the board’s diagnostic kindergarten classrooms told TorontoToday class sizes have already been pushed to the limit.

The instructors noted that several years ago, the board increased class sizes from six to eight students, which they say have pushed classroom resources to the extreme. 

On days when some of their students are away, instructors said they are able to offer an environment conducive to learning. But on days when all eight students are present, instructors said its a struggle.

Instructors noted that because many of their students still wear diapers and their classrooms do not have built-in bathrooms, their class educational assistant is mostly occupied taking students down the hall and back for changes, leaving the one teacher alone for much of the day to support the seven other students. 

One teacher said earlier this year, a student hit another with a chair, leaving a permanent scar on the child’s face. At the time of the incident, the teacher said her educational assistant was out of the room changing another child’s diaper, while she was on the other side of the room and couldn’t run fast enough to stop it. . . .

One diagnostic kindergarten teacher said she doesn’t normally record every incident of low-level violence in her classroom because she doesn’t have time — but sat down this week to do so, knowing the board is proposing increased class sizes.

The teacher said there’s been an average of five to ten incidents per day in recent weeks. She said she’s been bitten and scratched. Other teachers described having been kicked, spit at, groped and having their hair pulled. 

The instructors told TorontoToday they accept this to be part of the job and that they don’t fault the students. 

However, they said they are appalled trustees are considering adding more children to their classrooms without additional resources. They believe this will increasingly put students in harm’s way and further jeopardize their own health and safety. 

Teachers said many of their autistic students are particularly impacted by noise and chaos. They said behavioural challenges are sure to increase in frequency should larger classes transpire. 

The educational assistant, who has worked in a diagnostic kindergarten classroom for about 10 years, said the proposed class size increase is causing him to lose sleep. Should it come to pass, he said he’s considering a role change. . . .

The board spokesperson said the change was made as a part of the board’s annual staffing allocation process. 

“Staffing decisions are not made lightly, and we remain committed to balancing staffing across the district to best support all students,” the spokesperson said.  . . .