TDSB cuts 100 teaching positions due to declining enrolment

As enrolment continues to decline, the Toronto District School Board has agreed to slash more than 100 teaching positions and make other staff reductions.

Followingareport before the board's budget and enrolment committee, the TDSBwill make the following staffing cuts:

• 38 elementary teacherpositions.
• 64 secondary teacher positions.
• 45 early childhood educators.
• 46 lunchroom supervisors.

TDSB spokesman Ryan Bird told CBC News the reductions will come through attrition and leaves, not layoffs.

"We're are seeing enrolment going down, so we have to staff accordingly," Bird said.

He said a number of factors lead to falling school enrolment in the city.

"There are some neighbourhoods that 20 or 30 years ago may have had lots of families, and you see now it's mostly older people and not that many kids," he added.

Areport presented to trustees estimates that enrolment will drop from a little more than 245,000 studentsin 2015-16 to 241,000 in the 2016-17 school year.

TDSB enrolment was275,000 in 2006 but it'sbeen dropping steadily in recent years. Enrolment, however, is expected to stabilize in the 240,000 range over thenext few years.