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Illustration by Maggie Prince / The Local
Special Series
Special Series

A Thousand Cuts

Close to a quarter of a million students attend schools in the Toronto District School Board, the largest board in Ontario and one of the largest in all of North America. Yet decades of underfunding have left it struggling to meet students’ needs. From cuts to caretakers, to overworked school administrators, to a lack of resources for special education, our ongoing series examines how our schools got to where they are now—and what it will take to fix them.

In this issue

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Editor's Letter by Nicholas Hune-Brown

Failing Our Students

Toronto’s public education system has been underfunded for decades. Kids are paying the price.

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Feature by Wency Leung

A Long-Brewing Crisis in Special Education

Parents and teachers say schools are underfunded and understaffed, kids are being “abandoned” in mainstream classrooms in the name of inclusion, and neither the TDSB nor the province will take responsibility.

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Feature by Wency Leung

Trouble in the Principal’s Office

The problems in Toronto schools end up in the office, where principals and vice-principals say they’re overwhelmed and struggling to keep up.

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Feature by Wency Leung

Fewer Caretakers, Dirtier Schools

Sticky floors, rodent infestations, uncleared ice, overflowing toilets—Toronto schools are showing the effects of years of slashing caretaker jobs.

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Feature by Wency Leung

How Decades of Underfunding Eroded Toronto’s Schools

In the largest city in one of the richest countries, Toronto's public school system should be world class. So why are students heading back to school in crumbling buildings without enough staff to meet their needs?