Doug Ford’s government would have Ontarians believe it is making concessions on funding for special education support to secure a deal — but those involved in negotiations say the Ford government’s math doesn’t add up.
On Tuesday, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced the government would make concessions to help strike a deal with Ontario teachers by lowering its class sizes and allowing parents to opt-out of mandatory eLearning.
Lecce also pledged $148 million to cover the expenses of the Local Priorities Fund,which, among other things, helps cover the salaries of special education staff.
Except the $148 million in “total” funding Lecce announced appears to be nearly a hundred million dollars lower than had been previously committed to.