In my next teacher-parent meeting, my focus will be the teacher. Here’s why

Last week, at my parent-teacher meeting for the term, I flooded the teacher with questions about my kid — which is what parents do. As I walked out of the building, past some peeling walls and water fountains with lead pipes, the public policy researcher in me came up with a different question: How is my kid’s teacher coping with the repeated funding cuts, increased demands on schools, and public attacks from our own provincial government?
I didn’t ask. But here’s why we should. 
Since Premier Doug Ford came to power in 2018, school board funding has dropped a stunning $1,500 per student, on average, when adjusted for inflation. The increase in class sizes and the introduction of mandatory online courses have resulted in the province having 5,000 fewer teachers than it would otherwise.
Special education is grossly underfunded. In 2024, 63 per cent of elementary school principals had to, at least once, call the parents of a child with special education needs and tell them to stay at home for the day. Imagine having to make that call.
Imagine getting that call.
School buildings are also in bad shape. The latest estimate puts the school repair backlog at $16.8 billion. This amount doesn’t include many things, like maintaining portable classrooms that were meant to be temporary but have been used for so long that they need fixing. It also doesn’t include monitoring air quality or replacing those lead pipes. 
In the meantime, the pressure on the public education system continues to grow.
Artificial intelligence has thrown off all notions of where the good jobs will be in 10 years, heightening the need for high-quality, multidisciplinary education that prepares children for whatever the future holds.
Public health and education practitioners across the world, including in Ontario, are sounding the alarm about children’s and youth’s mental health. Schools are our first line of defence — or at least they could be if adequately funded.
Statistics show growing wealth inequality across Canada, which translates into larger learning gaps among kids in the same classroom.
With social media and artificial intelligence blending lies and facts at breakneck speed, the role of schools in producing citizens who can make informed decisions about political issues and candidates is ever more critical.
Ontario educators must do more with less.
And to add insult to injury, Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford, has now taken to attacking teachers publicly, accusing them of (among other things) trying to indoctrinate our kids.
A recent government analysis estimates that Ontario will have a sizable teacher shortage by 2027. The analysis assumes that the number of teachers in the public education system will remain stable, aside from retirements, but not keep up with enrolment growth.
That’s not a safe assumption.
With Ontario asking teachers to do more with less and blaming them for the shortfalls of underfunded schools, recruitment and retention will only become more challenging. Teachers should at least feel that parents are on their side.      
In my next teacher-parent meeting, I will start with an earnest How are you?