Members of unions representing educators and their supporters lent their voices to a call for action on Wednesday afternoon.
About a hundred people gathered outside the constituency office of Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie, for a rally to address what they believed were issues affecting classrooms across the region.
Jeff Hackett, with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA), told WindsorNewsToday.ca that with contract talks ahead of this fall, education workers are still dealing with a host of grievances.
"We've seen the eroding of our system, over a handful of years, and it's got to stop," said Hackett. "We're seeing the symptoms of a failing system every day, whether it be overcrowding, or violence in classrooms, or our special-needs students not getting the support they need."
Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra announced on Tuesday a plan to invest $1.6-billion in new school construction to address overcrowding.
Hackett said, though, that incentives being offered to educators, such as a fund to help teachers with supplies and classroom materials, are merely lip service.
"Gags and distractions like the $750 credit, when you work that out amongst the students of Ontario, it's about 13 cents," said Hackett. "On the surface, it looks great, but in practicality, it doesn't serve a purpose."
Anthony Cutrone, president of CUPE Local 4299, was at the rally to address news that Conseil scolaire catholique Providence will lay off 40 educational support workers before the start of the 2026-27 school year.
"We are a direct hit, a loss of 40 jobs here at our local, and the kids are going to suffer," said Cutrone. "Families are going to suffer. Everyone's going to be affected. This has been going on since 2022 with our board. They just haven't managed our money properly."
Contract talks involving all of Ontario's education unions are due to take place, with the unions urging the provincial government to begin bargaining early, to make it less likely to create disruptions to the next school year.
-with files from Maureen Revait
