Over the past few years the Ontario Ministry of Education has increased funding to school boards to reduce class sizes in primary grades (Kindergarten – Grade 3).
All school in the Halton District School Board have been working to ensure compliance with this Primary Class Size initiative for the benefits to student learning that it provides.
For the school year 2011 - 2012 the Ministry expects 90 percent of JK to Grade 3 classes across the Halton District School Board will have a student teacher ratio of 20:1. The remaining 10 percent of classes will have class sizes no greater than 23:1.
In September, 2011, the full-day Kindergarten program (Early Learning Program) will be offered in 13 Halton public schools. The Primary Class Size initiative does not apply to these classes. The ratio for this newly funded program will be 26:2, with two educators -- a teacher and an Early Childhood Educator -- working with students.
The following two documents were shared with parents in mid-May concerning the Primary Class Size initiative.
• Primary Class Size letter (signed by David Euale, Director of Education)
• Questions & Answers about Primary Class Size (shared in school newsletters and on school websites).