HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-01-24 Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs - OCDSB PresentationOCDSB Oral Presentation to the
Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs
Pre-Budget Consultation
24 January 2024
Good afternoon.My name is Lynn Scott,and I am Chair of the Ottawa-Carleton District School.With me
virtually is Randall Gerrior,Associated Director for Business Operations,who will assist with answering
your questions.
As one of the largest school boards in Ontario outside the GTA,we serve more than 75,000 students from
many different cultures and backgrounds,from inner city enclaves,established urban residential areas,
rural hamlets and villages,and newer suburban communities experiencing explosive growth.
Ontario families believe in the promise of high-quality public education,and expect all of us to ensure each
child has the opportunity to fulfill their potential.In the current fiscal climate,the OCDSB is struggling to
meet that expectation.We appreciate the new funding provided in the last few years,but it hasn’t kept
pace with inflation,and 2024 is the year to catch up.
It doesn’t matter how good the curriculum is when learning is repeatedly disrupted by the constant churn of
teachers and support personnel through classrooms because we’re always replacing people away on sick
leave or short-term disability.We can’t make efficient use of existing facilities when we still face restrictions
on conducting pupil accommodation reviews and getting new schools built quickly enough to keep up with
enrollment growth.We can’t properly address the escalating incidence of dysregulated student behaviour
when we don’t have enough money for appropriately trained staff to support students with significant
behavioural challenges.
Improvements to the Grants for Student Needs and the Capital Funding program are urgently required to
meet these challenges.
Let’s start with replacement workers.Since 2012,when new legislation significantly changed the design of
sick leave and short-term disability plans for school board staff,the funding for replacement workers has
fallen further and further below the actual cost.
We worry about the wellness of our employees.When a staff member is ill,we want them to stay home
and get better so they can come back and do their jobs.But while they’re on sick leave or disability leave,
we need to replace them because we can’t leave a class without a teacher,and we can’t leave a student
with special needs without support.
In 2022-23,we received $15M in provincial funding to cover the cost of replacement workers.Our actual
expense was $35.8M.We had to find the difference,more than $20M,elsewhere in our budget,where
there is almost no discretionary funding that can be easily reallocated.
The problem is structural,rooted in provincial legislation and chronic underfunding.In the OCDSB,average
per-employee sick leave and short-term disability usage increased from 11.21 days in 2018-19 to 14.53
days in 2021-22.Early indications suggest a further 9%increase in replacement worker costs this year
over last.The remedy is not within our control.It is within yours,to recognize the true cost of replacement
workers and adjust funding accordingly.
Next,we have an equally problematic challenge with capital funding.We welcome the work already
underway by the Minister of Education and others to make provincial and municipal planning and
construction approval processes more efficient,but the time lags between creating our business case for a
new school,the announcement of funding,and the build time can lead to very different dollar amounts by
the time construction starts.
Funding benchmarks need to recognize the rise in construction costs,the impact of supply chain on costs
and build-time,and the inflation that occurs between the capital funding award and the timing of
construction.Otherwise boards may find themselves unable to proceed with approved projects because
cost increases outside our control exceed the original funding.We’d also like to make more efficient use of
our existing facilities,but we need the new pupil accommodation review guideline now,together with an
end to the moratorium on school closures.
Turning to Special Education,l don’t know of any Ontario school board that doesn’t overspend its funding
allocation for special education,to which you can add the ever-increasing need for mental health supports.
Delivering on every child’s right to an education is increasingly challenged by our need to support more and
more students with complex developmental,behavioural and medical needs.When we can’t provide the
necessary support –educational assistants and professional student services –these children cannot
access their learning.
We’re also still dealing with the after-effects of the pandemic’s social isolation on students’mental health,
self-regulation and social development.Critical investments are needed to provide the necessary support
so that all students,including those with complex needs,can learn in a classroom environment that is safe
and inclusive for all.
School mental health workers are critical in providing quality mental health promotion and prevention as
part of a system of care in our community.With ever-increasing caseloads,the work of our school mental
health workers is now largely focused on urgent responses,such as violent incidents,suicide risk
assessments and supporting students with complex mental health needs.Lengthy wait times for
community mental health services and students requiring longer term interventions means there’s not
enough time or staff to implement the proactive measures designed to prevent the future need for more
intensive services and support down the road.
Coupled with this,we also need less restrictive rules and less red tape to work effectively with our
community partners to support children’s mental health.
In our written submission we’ve also highlighted our needs in the critical areas of student transportation
and cybersecurity.The new funding formula for student transportation left out funding for small-vehicle
service where yellow bus is neither the safest nor the most efficient way to get some children to school.As
for cybersecurity,the number of malicious attacks is very much on the rise,and school boards are
struggling to keep up.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you directly today.We would be happy to take questions.
Additional Background
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is one of the largest school boards in Ontario outside the GTA.
Our more than 75,000 students come from many different cultures and backgrounds,from inner city
enclaves,established urban residential areas,rural hamlets and villages,and newer suburban
communities experiencing explosive growth.
Every student in our schools is there because of the promise of high-quality public education,expecting
that Ontario is committed to ensuring each of them has the opportunity to fulfill their potential.In the
current fiscal climate,the OCDSB is struggling to meet those expectations.
Following up on the remarks provided to the committee above,in consideration of the provincial budget,
below are some key areas of concern based on our experiences.
Sustainable and Predictable Funding for Capital Projects
The current process for allocating capital funding for school boards is in need of review.We are aware of
and welcome,the work underway by the Ministry of Education and provincial partners to bring much
needed efficiency to the provincial and municipal planning and construction approval processes.
The OCDSB,like other boards,continues to need to build new schools in growth areas,and to undertake
major renovations to schools in established communities.School boards are required to submit annual
priority lists and funding for projects is allocated on a business case basis for new schools,retrofits,and
additions.
There is a significant lag time between the creation of the business case,the announcement of funding,
and the build time,which can lead to significantly changed circumstances when it comes to costs.There is
a need to address funding benchmarks,the rise in construction costs and the impact of supply chain on
costs and build-time,and inflation that may occur between the awarding of the capital funding and the
timing of construction.Otherwise,school boards and the communities they serve find themselves unable
to proceed with approved projects because the funding is no longer feasible or adequate based on
changed conditions.
Costs Associated with Sick Leave Usage
In 2012,legislation was introduced that significantly changed the design of sick leave plans for all school
board employees.Since the province negotiated these new plans,the funding for replacement worker
costs has not matched the need.
Supporting employee wellness is core to the OCDSB’s philosophy of employee well-being and
engagement.Employees experiencing an illness that impedes their ability to perform the duties of their job
adequately,should be able to access their sick leave entitlements.
When a school-based employee is on sick leave,a replacement worker is needed.
In 2022-2023,the OCDSB received $15 million in provincial funding to cover these costs.Sick leave usage
rates are rising steadily and the actual expense was $35.8 million.This leaves a gap of more than $20
million.This money has to be found elsewhere in the budget,which can have an adverse impact on
student learning along with employee morale and well-being.
This structural problem is rooted in provincial legislation and underfunding.It is a source of increasing
strain on school board budgets across Ontario.
A recent study of select Ontario school districts shows that participating districts experienced an average of
15.18 sick days per employee for the 2021-2022 school year.The OCDSB average sick leave usage
increased from 11.21 days in 2018-2019 to 14.53 days in 2021-2022,a concerning trend even though our
usage rates remain lower than the provincial average.
If we look at this trend over time,replacement costs for employees in the OCDSB who are accessing sick
leave have climbed from $18.4 Million in 2017-2018 to over $35.8 Million in 2022-2023.While the
pandemic has had an impact,early indications show that this trend will increase by an additional 9%this
year over last year.
In the face of provincially established sick leave provisions and increased cost pressures which are,for the
most part,outside of boards'control,more funding is needed to cover the costs of replacement staffing.
Supports for Special Education
Schools are struggling to support an increasing number of students with complex learning needs.
Every child has the right to an education.However,the ability to deliver on this is being impacted as school
boards are strained to support more students with complex safety,behavioral,and medical needs.This
includes those with diverse learning challenges like deaf and hard of hearing,blind or visually impaired,
and rapid rise of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
These children learn in different ways and the system needs to adapt to meet their needs.Not the other
way around.
Limited funding for special education means that schools do not have enough staff to support these
students with the care and attention they deserve.This adds further pressure on teachers and ultimately
impacts the learning of all students.
Recent updates to the Ontario Curriculum highlight the importance of Social Emotional Learning and its
connections to students’feelings of safety,welcoming and belonging.Educational Assistants are key
para-professionals to help support students in being prepared for learning from a social-emotional and
self-regulation perspective.
The OCDSB has used additional funding beyond the special education envelope in order to support
students with special education needs,including increasing the number of EAs available to support
students.The district is currently serving more students with complex needs,including those with complex
mental health profiles,in the regular classroom.Students have had their educational experiences disrupted
by the pandemic and unprecedented levels of dysregulation are being noticed.
The lack of EA support in schools results in some students not receiving the support they require which
can impact trajectories and life outcomes for students.
Critical investments are needed to help these students.This includes funding for additional staffing and
training,along with bridge funding to shift from a model based on fully self contained classrooms to a more
inclusive,community school-based approach.
Mental health
At the same time,research has demonstrated a marked increase in mental health needs amongst children
and youth in recent years.Further,the pandemic has magnified existing inequalities and disparities related
to mental health both inside and outside of education.Families are feeling heightened levels of strain which
further impacts parent-child relationships and well-being.
Community agencies are struggling to meet the needs resulting in long waitlists and gaps in services for
children and families exist.
In schools,mental health professionals'caseloads have continually increased and are required to support
increasingly complex mental health challenges for a longer period of time as students wait for service
through community agencies.
As a result of the work being focused largely on urgent responses (such as violent incidents,suicide risk
assessments,and supporting students with complex mental health needs),the OCDSB struggles to
provide ongoing implementation support and coaching for mental health promotion and prevention efforts.
This results in missed opportunities for proactive measures which may prevent students from requiring
more intensive supports and services down the road.
School Mental Health Ontario is producing incredible resources which help to support this work.However,
additional staffing is required to ensure this information and programming is shared so more students can
benefit.
This funding must reflect the vital partnership between schools and community organizations.Bureaucratic
funding structures,restrictive rules and red tape,should not prevent youths from getting the critical mental
health support they need.
Student transportation
The City of Ottawa is one of the largest municipalities in Ontario in both population and geographic area.
This makes the delivery of transportation of OCDSB students much more complex.It is not simply about
transporting students to and from school.It is about equitable access.Particularly for rural communities,
access to reliable and safe student transportation allows parents/caregivers to make decisions about
programs based on their child’s learning needs,rather than transportation barriers.It is also vital for
families who may not have a vehicle or require specialized support for their child to be transported to
school.
Recent changes to provincial funding arrangements for student transportation could result in a significant
shortfall in the OCDSB’s budget.According to 2023 revised estimates,the OCDSB spent $51.8 million on
student transportation for the 2023-2024 school year.Of this amount,the OCDSB received $48.9 million in
provincial funding.This includes $13.9 million in temporary transitional funding to support boards as they
adapt to the new funding model.This transitional funding is slated to last until 2027.Under the current
funding model,the OCDSB must cover a $3.0 million deficit to meet transportation needs.With the loss of
the transitional funding,this deficit could climb to $17 million.
Cybersecurity
The rising cost of cybersecurity has been well documented in recent years.For Ontario school districts,
cyberthreats and incidents have become more prevalent and sophisticated.
The rise in cost for school districts in Ontario to maintain secure and functional technology systems is not
just limited to initial investments in security measures.School districts must also allocate resources to
address and prevent potential cyber security incidents.This can include upgrading technology
infrastructure,conducting regular security assessments to identify vulnerabilities,recruiting and training
staff to detect and prevent cyber threats,investing in incident response plans,hiring third-party security
experts to assist in investigations,and covering the cost of any downtime during the recovery process.
School boards have an obligation to take appropriate measures to protect confidential and sensitive
student and employee data and financial systems.The cost of a cyber attack can be substantial.In
addition to data loss and privacy implications,the costs include financial loss,as well as learning loss while
systems are down,and damage to the district's reputation and the trust of students and their families.As
such,school boards must continuously allocate resources towards cyber security to stay ahead of evolving
threats.Moreover,with the increase in the number of cyber-security related attacks across the sector,
insurance policies are becoming more expensive.
It is essential that the provincial budget recognize the importance of proper funding of school districts and
other public sector organizations to protect against cyber attacks.
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