Despite some program cuts, Toronto’s two public school boards, which are under provincial supervision, approved their budgets with projected multi-million-dollar deficits.
According to the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), the 2026-27 deficit is down $15 million from the $74.5 million that was initially projected.
The board said the supervisor’s measures, which include elimination of hundreds of teaching positions and central staff and several programs such as outdoor education, resulted in $59.5 million in savings.
In its budget report, the board noted the $15 million deficit, a decrease from last year’s, “represents significant progress in restoring long-term financial sustainability.”
The TDSB and the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) are among eight boards that are being run by provincially-appointed supervisors due to alleged financial mismanagement, multi-million dollar deficit, and a failure to implement cost-saving measures.
The TDSB said its budget “protects classroom learning” and “supports student achievement.”
Meanwhile, the TCDSB is projecting a deficit of $39.5 million, down from the $65.3 million that was initially anticipated.
According to the Catholic school board, the deficit was lowered as a result of its supervisor’s saving measures, which include cuts to central staffing and the weekday international language programming.
Declining enrolment
Both Toronto school boards are expecting a decrease in enrolment in the 2026-2027 school year.
The TDSB says it will have nearly 5,000 fewer students while the TCDSB is projecting a decrease of 1,500 students.
In its budget report, the TDSB says it is expecting to see enrolment numbers will decline, citing federal immigration changes, fewer school-age children and more families moving out of the Greater Toronto Area.
As a result of the decline, the TDSB reported a projected revenue decrease of $48.2 million, while the TCDSB forecast a revenue decrease of $7.7 million.
Related Stories
