OECTA Simcoe Muskoka

OECTA Simcoe Muskoka Representing the Elementary, Secondary and Occasional Teachers' Bargaining Units of Simcoe Muskoka

06/09/2026

The Ford government promised $750 a year for elementary teachers to buy supplies. It turns out it's not all new money...

A recent Toronto Star article (🌍06.08.2026) reveals that while the Province announced a $750 annual classroom supply fund for eligible elementary teachers, newly released documents show that $300 of that amount will come from existing school board funding rather than new provincial investments. While any support for classroom resources is welcome, the article raises important questions about how education funding is being delivered. Educators have long stepped up to fill gaps in classroom supplies, often using their own time and money to ensure students have what they need to succeed.

Teachers want to teach. They shouldn't have to spend additional time sourcing basic classroom materials. Ontario schools need stable, sustainable funding that supports not only classroom supplies, but also special education, educational assistants, child and youth workers, and smaller class sizes.

Our students deserve fully resourced classrooms, and our educators deserve the support they need to focus on learning, growth, and student success.

06/08/2026

“[They must] move beyond the posturing, the politics, & the power grabs at the expense of local communities & voices. urge this government to come to the table ready to bargain.”
- OECTA 1st VP Lisa Lacaria

🌐Full article available at CTV News!

06/04/2026

📚 WHAT ONTARIO PARENTS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT UPCOMING EDUCATION CONTRACT TALKS

Ontario's major education unions have officially served notice to bargain with the Ford government, starting a new round of contract negotiations that will affect more than 255,000 teachers and education workers across the province. Current agreements expire at the end of August, and both sides are now legally required to meet within 15 days.

Key issues unions say they will be pushing for include:
✅ Smaller class sizes, particularly in Kindergarten and Grades 4-8 where teachers say some classes exceed 30 students.
✅ Increased funding and support for special education programs.
✅ Better staffing levels and resources for schools.
✅ Higher wages and improved working conditions to help attract and retain educators.
✅ Measures to address increasing classroom violence and growing student needs.

Education Minister Paul Calandra says he expects "robust but productive" negotiations and hopes to reach agreements before the new school year begins. The government says it wants students in classrooms this September and is looking for a deal that is fair to both educators and taxpayers.

While no strike action has been announced, labour disruptions are always a possibility if negotiations break down. Parents may remember the education strikes and work-to-rule campaigns that occurred during previous rounds of bargaining. For now, schools remain open as usual and negotiations are just beginning.
The next few months will be critical in determining whether Ontario's students head back to school in September under new agreements—or whether another round of labour disputes emerges.

🌍 Read more about this on CTVNews Online 06.03.2026

05/25/2026

A recent article from BarrieToday is bringing attention to ongoing concerns surrounding special education changes within the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board and the impact these decisions may have on students, families, educators, and education workers across our local communities.

Members of the board’s Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) raised concerns about staffing reductions, support restructuring, student safety, accessibility, and whether students with exceptionalities will continue to receive the individualized supports they need in our schools.

As educators in Simcoe Muskoka Catholic schools, we see firsthand the increasing complexity of student needs and the importance of timely, consistent, and properly funded supports. Teachers, Educational Assistants, and support staff continue to go above and beyond every day to support students, often while navigating growing pressures tied to staffing shortages and limited resources.

Students in Simcoe Muskoka deserve learning environments where they are safe, supported, included, and able to thrive. Families deserve confidence that their children’s needs will be met. Educators deserve the staffing and resources necessary to provide meaningful support for every learner.

We will continue advocating for strong, properly funded publicly funded Catholic education in Simcoe Muskoka and across Ontario.

🌏Read more online in BarrieToday 05.23.2026

05/22/2026

Another powerful reminder of what educators, students, and education workers across Ontario are experiencing every single day.

A recent education town hall in Guelph highlighted growing concerns around burnout, classroom violence, lack of supports, larger class sizes, and ongoing funding shortfalls in public education. Educators spoke openly about the impossible workloads, increasing student needs, and the emotional toll these conditions are taking on school communities.

This conversation matters because these are not isolated experiences. They are realities being felt in classrooms across our province, including here in Simcoe Muskoka.

Our members continue to show up for students with compassion, professionalism, and care, even as resources continue to fall behind the growing needs in schools. But educators cannot continue holding the system together with “love and duct tape.”

Students deserve safe, supported learning environments.
Educators deserve working conditions that are sustainable.
Publicly funded education deserves proper investment.

We will continue to advocate for the supports our students and school communities need.

🌍Read more online on Guelph Today 05.22.2026

05/14/2026

Ontario education minister says he can't interfere in Catholic board's Pride flag ban.

As members of OECTA, we believe that every student, educator, staff member, and family deserves to feel safe, valued, respected, and included in our schools and communities.

Recent discussions surrounding Pride flag bans in Ontario Catholic school boards have sparked important conversations about inclusion, belonging, and the responsibility we all share in supporting one another. As Catholic educators, we know that dignity, compassion, equity, and respect are not optional values; they are foundational to the work we do every day in our classrooms and schools.

Symbols matter. Representation matters. Everyone deserves to know they are seen, welcomed, and supported for exactly who they are.

Publicly funded Catholic education should continue striving to be a place where all members of our communities feel a true sense of belonging.

🌎Read more about it online, The Canadian Press 05.13.2026

05/13/2026

A new report from Ontario’s Auditor General is raising serious concerns about the state of special education funding and support in our schools.

According to the report, dozens of school boards across the province are spending hundreds of millions more on special education than the government provides because the needs of students simply are not being met through current funding levels.

The report highlights growing concerns around staffing shortages, long wait times for student assessments, inconsistent supports between schools, increasing classroom complexity, and rising stress and injury rates among Educational Assistants.

Families are waiting years for assessments and supports that students need now, while educators continue doing everything they can to support students in increasingly challenging conditions.

This is not sustainable.

Every student deserves timely access to the supports they need to learn, thrive, and feel safe at school. Educators, EAs, and school staff also deserve the resources and staffing necessary to properly support Ontario’s most vulnerable learners.

Public education works best when it is properly funded.

🌍Read more in the Toronto Star (Print Edition) 05.12.2026

05/12/2026

"We must never let another province use Section 33 against gender affirming care.”

Alex McDonald speaks against use of the notwithstanding clause (Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms) to limit access to healthcare for 2SLGBTQIA+ people.

05/12/2026

Thank you to all our who spoke at a mic, engaged with fellow delegates, and advocated for at Day 2 of ! The solidarity work continues tomorrow!

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61 King Street, Unit 12
Barrie, ON
L4N6B5

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