Public education is in crisis. We can’t afford to stay silent

Nigel Barriffe  – 2025-05-21

Just last week, I had a public exchange with a colleague—we’ll call them Bob—who took issue with a political cartoon I shared based on a 2014 Ottawa Citizen article.

The image referenced Ontario’s Education Minister Paul Calandra’s past: allegations that he exploited his dying mother’s finances and threatened his sister. Bob argued that because the matter was settled out of court, it didn’t belong in conversations about public education today.

But today, that same Paul Calandra released a budget that does exactly what many of us feared: guts our public schools. This is a man who avoided accountability then and is avoiding responsibility now.

This budget allocates zero new dollars to the public education system. It ignores inflation, rising classroom violence, and the growing crisis of underfunding. School boards like the TDSB are being forced to consider larger class sizes, cuts to Outdoor Ed, pools, continuing education, and more. Special education is being slashed, while the government claims “historic investment.” It’s not just inaction. As ETFO describes in its recent budget statement, it’s negligence. The budget ignores the effects of inflation on education costs, does nothing to improve the situation for children with disabilities or address increasing violence in our classrooms.

We are in an existential moment for public education. But this didn’t happen overnight. For years, Ford’s Conservatives have chipped away at our shared institutions—while blaming educators, shifting public dollars to private interests, and hoping we wouldn’t notice.

Bob may not see the connection between past behaviour and present harm, but many of us do. Calandra’s personal and political record is one of evasion, entitlement, and betrayal of public trust. Character matters—especially when you’re holding the future of our children in your hands.

So, what now?

We fight back.

 

 

Here’s how:

  • Share your story at www.fundourschools.ca about how these cuts impact your students.
  • Rally at Queen’s Park on May 24 (12–1:30 PM) to demand better.
  • Join the MPP Phone Zap on May 27 and flood their lines with one clear message: No More Cuts.
  • Send a letter to Ford and Calandra at www.fundourschools.ca/take-action

 

Parents, educators, and allies—we built public education together. Let’s defend it with the same love and urgency.

 

 

Source: Fund Our Schools: https://www.fundourschools.ca/

 

Nigel Barriffe

Dad

School teacher

Singer songwriter