On Thursday the Toronto Catholic District School Board, TCDSB, announced that they will completely eliminate its long-standing International Languages Program, resulting in 77 dedicated language instructors losing their jobs.
“This is a devastating and short-sighted decision,” said Val Di Gregorio, president of CUPE 3155, representing the language instructors. “For decades, this program has enriched students’ lives, strengthened communities and supported cultural connections. Cutting it not only robs students of these opportunities, but it also throws 77 skilled and passionate educators out of work. These instructors are not expendable — they are essential to the fabric of our schools.”
The decision will bring an abrupt end to a program that has served TCDSB students for over 50 years. The International Languages Program has provided students with valuable opportunities to learn a third language, including Ukrainian, Spanish, Mandarin, Italian, Portuguese, and many others.
The program has played a crucial role in helping students develop communication skills, cultural awareness and a deeper appreciation for the diversity that defines Canada and the global community.
“This is deeply disappointing,” says Joe Tigani, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions, OSBCU. “This decision is a direct result of years of underfunding of public education by Doug Ford and Paul Calandra, who have cut billions of dollars from our public education system. These cuts are forcing school boards into impossible choices, and the elimination of this program is completely preventable. Students, families, and workers should not be paying the price for shortsighted and absurd decisions made at Queen’s Park.”
It’s not that surprising that this decision was made by Ford’s appointed supervisor at the TCDSB. It is clear that the decision to put boards under supervision is not about putting resources in classrooms. It is about cutting staff and cutting budgets to the detriment of workers and students.
The union warns that these cuts will have long-lasting consequences — not only for the affected workers, but for students and families who rely on the program as a vital educational and cultural resource.
CUPE 3155 and OSBCU are urging the TCDSB to reconsider this decision and engage in meaningful dialogue with education workers and the community to find alternatives that preserve both jobs and programming.