Nearly 130 elementary teachers in the region will be laid off

Dozens of local teachers are facing an uncertain future as school boards grapple with declining enrolment and funding challenges.

Nearly 130 elementary teachers in the region will be laid off

Nearly 130 elementary teachers at the Waterloo Region District School Board and the Waterloo Catholic District School Board are facing an uncertain future.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario Waterloo Region (ETFO) said 97 elementary teachers have been declared “surplus to the system.” Those teachers held permanent positions but do not have contracts for the 2026-2027 school year.

“Boards are operating within funding frameworks set by the province, and when funding doesn’t keep pace with inflation, staffing decisions become much more difficult,” said Josh Dickson, president of ETFO Waterloo Region.

The school board said information about the changes is being shared now, ahead of final budget approvals, to adhere to contractual obligations.

“We continue to follow the typical staffing and budgeting processes as we plan for the 2026-27 school year. In previous years we have had to undertake a similar process,” a spokesperson for the WRDSB told CTV News in an email.

Dickson said this isn’t an isolated incident, but a systemic issue at multiple boards.

“We call on the government to commit to stable, predictable provincial funding that keeps pace with inflation and classroom needs,” Dickson said.

The WRDSB said due to declining enrolment across the province, the Ontario government has advised school boards to take a conservative approach to staffing.

The board said the decision to reduce their staff levels is a precautionary measure in light of available funding resources.

“We know that this is difficult news for the elementary educators who are impacted, and we are committed to supporting their well-being throughout this process,” the school board said.

The board said staff who are impacted by the decision will have the right to be recalled into another position.

Dickson said the impacted teachers are integral to their school communities and layoffs like this substantially impact school communities and children.

“It does not have to be this way,” Dickson said. “Boards have not yet received their core funding, which forces boards to staff extremely conservatively and causes massive disruption across the system.”

He blames the ministry for not keeping up with inflation over the last eight years.

CTV News reached out to the Minister of Education’s office for comment.

Waterloo Catholic District School Board

David Geraghty, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) Waterloo, said 30 permanent elementary teachers in that board were declared redundant.

“They have been given notice that they will not necessarily have a permanent job in September. And in terms of how our board works, and our contract works, it’s the 30 least senior teachers in elementary that would have received these notices in schools,” said Geraghty.

He called the move ‘deeply concerning’ and he worries about increasing class sizes with less teachers. He said larger class sizes could mean less access to technology and supplies.

“[Another] major concerns is support for students with special needs, more than ever, the need for supporting students who come to our schools, with those needs, they need more one-on-one with more teachers in the schools and not less,” Geraghty said.

He said that the Catholic board did not see the enrolment numbers they expected for next year.

CTV News reached out to the WCDSB for comment.