Class-size caps likely to be exceeded at some elementary schools, TDSB says

The Toronto District School Board is warning parents that some of its elementary classes are likely to exceed the size caps set out in its reopening plan.

The TDSB says it does not yet know how many of its classes will exceed those caps, since final registration numbers are still in flux with the new school year set to begin Tuesday.

"We are getting to those caps as best we can. The difficulty is, though, since we've received the student registration information, the numbers keep changing," said TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird.

"That's why we may exceed those caps by a little bit, and that really comes down to funding."

The TDSB approved a plan in late August to reduce class sizes in elementary schoolswith a particular focus on areas deemed by Toronto Public Health to be at higher risk of COVID-19.

Those class caps range from 15 students in kindergarten classes in high-risk areas, to 27 students in Grade 4 to 8 classes in lower-risk areas.

You can see the updated caps and projected class size averages in the chart below:

The provincial government has not mandated reduced class sizes in its school reopening guidelines, nor has it provided sufficient funding to allow school boards to significantly reduce class sizes.

Instead, Ontario is encouraging school boards to promote physical distancing by removing classroom furniture or holding classes in larger areas such as gyms and libraries.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has doggedly defended the province's school reopening plans in the face of criticism from teachers' unions, parents and public-health experts.

"We have done absolutely everything," Ford said on Aug. 31. "Every idea possible, we're putting into the classrooms."

The TDSB has estimated it would cost $250 million to hire additional teachers and reduce class sizes to 15 students across the board.

Updated caps are 'targets'

The boardis now referring to itsupdated class-size limitsas"targets,"meaning that it will allow some classes to operate with higher numbers than what has been prescribed.

The TDSBis not saying how much it will allow classes to exceed those targeted caps.

Bird said the board does not have a "magic number" that will trigger a class to be split or otherwise reduced. Administrators will weigh a variety of factors, including the grade, the areaof theschooland the layout of the classrooms in making those decisions.

"You may have a larger classroom where it might be possible to space out," he said.

"You may have a smaller classroom where it may not be possible."

Educator warns of 'inconsistency' across TDSB

While many class lists have not yet been finalized, parents and teachers within the board are reporting some instances of preliminary class lists of up to 34 students.

"I think we're going to continue to see a lot of frustration and anger and disappointment," said Kelly Iggers, an elementary teacher at the TDSB and the parent of a child heading into kindergarten this month.

Sarah-Jane Wells, a teacher at Fairbank Public School, said her school's preliminary class lists show three classes above the caps, with two featuring 31 students and another with 29.

Iggers is also the organizer of a petition calling for increased provincial funding to limit class sizes. More than 250,000 people have signed on so far.

As class lists become finalized, Iggers said she expects to see a "tremendous range of situations" in classrooms across Toronto.

Outside those schools designated as high-risk, she expects class sizes to be somewhat random across the city, depending primarily on a given school's registration numbers.

"I think we're going to see a lot of inconsistency in class sizes."