The Budget

How school boards are funded 

School boards receive most of their funding from the provincial government. A large portion of this funding is allocated to cover staffing for schools (including teachers, Early Childhood Educators, principals, etc.), while other areas receive targeted funding from the Ministry of Education. 

Every spring, the Ministry of Education announces education funding (now called Core Education Funding), which is the amount of funding that school boards will receive for the coming year.  
 

Budget pressures 

The TDSB is Canada’s largest school board, operating close to 600 schools and the size of its student population and operations means there are significant needs. In recent years, the Board has faced growing pressure to spend more than what has been allocated by the Ministry to support students, staff and communities. Here are some areas facing funding strain: 

• Meeting the needs of special education  
• Resources to support student and staff mental health, safety and well-being 
• Supply staffing costs (teachers and educational assistants) 
• Information technology supports to support student achievement (e.g. devices, infrastructure and cyber security) 
• Accessible schools for students and staff 
• Improvements to school ventilation 
• Supporting the community use of schools through permits 
• Maintenance of existing schools and the renewal of aging infrastructure 
• Keeping pace with rising operator contracts for student transportation