The York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) has recently approved a Multi-Year Financial Recovery Plan (MYFRP) to address a $10.5 million deficit for the 2024-25 school year. This plan aims to balance the budget by 2026-27, ensuring the long-term financial stability of the board. However, several cost-cutting measures—including the discontinuation of literacy intervention programs—have raised concerns among parents and educators.
In this post, we’ll break down:
✔ Why YCDSB is facing a financial crisis.
✔ What the Multi-Year Financial Recovery Plan includes.
✔ How these changes will impact students and families.
✔ What parents can do to voice their concerns and stay involved.
📌 Why Is YCDSB Facing a Deficit?
Several key factors have contributed to YCDSB’s financial challenges:
1️⃣ Declining Enrolment
✔ Funding for Ontario schools is based on student enrolment, and with fewer elementary students, YCDSB has received less funding than expected.
✔ The board anticipates further declines in student numbers, worsening the financial shortfall.
2️⃣ Special Education Funding Shortfalls
✔ While YCDSB has a strong special education program, the funding received does not fully cover the costs of providing essential support services.
✔ This funding gap has placed additional strain on the board’s overall budget.
3️⃣ Rising Operational Costs
✔ Transportation, technology upgrades, and facility maintenance costs have all increased.
✔ The board is forced to make cuts in some areas to offset these rising expenses.
📌 YCDSB’s budget shortfall has forced the board to make difficult choices about which programs and services to keep—and which to cut.
📍 What’s Included in YCDSB’s Financial Recovery Plan?
To bring its finances back on track, YCDSB’s Multi-Year Financial Recovery Plan includes a mix of cost-cutting and revenue-generating measures:
1️⃣ Eliminating the ILIT Program (Intensive Literacy Intervention Teacher Program)
✔ The ILIT program, which provides one-on-one reading support for struggling students, will be cut.
✔ Lexia Core5, an online literacy program, will replace ILIT as the primary intervention tool for Grades 4-5 students.
✔ Parents and educators fear that replacing trained literacy specialists with digital tools will negatively impact struggling readers.
📌 This is one of the most controversial changes, as many students who relied on ILIT for reading support may now have limited direct assistance.
2️⃣ Reducing STREAM Centres (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics)
✔ YCDSB currently operates six STREAM centres. The board will reduce this number to four to save approximately $310,000.
✔ A $5 per student transportation fee will be introduced for students attending STREAM programs.
📌 This could affect students who depend on these programs for enhanced learning opportunities in STEM subjects.
3️⃣ Adjusting Special Education & Student Support Services
✔ The board has not yet confirmed how special education programs will be affected, but cuts may lead to fewer Educational Assistants (EAs) or specialized resources.
✔ Some existing programs for students with diverse learning needs may be scaled back.
📌 While YCDSB has committed to protecting special education as much as possible, the budget shortfall raises concerns about the future of support services.
4️⃣ General Cost-Cutting Measures
✔ Reducing hospitality expenses, community use of schools, and staff professional development programs to save money.
✔ Re-evaluating staff roles and administrative expenses to ensure that spending aligns with budget constraints.
✔ Reviewing transportation services to identify areas for efficiency improvements.
📌 The board is looking at a combination of staff reductions and spending cuts to balance the budget without significantly impacting classroom learning.
🚸 How Will These Changes Impact Students & Families?
These cuts will have short-term and long-term effects on YCDSB students.
✔ Fewer direct reading intervention supports → Students who struggle with literacy may not receive the same level of assistance without ILIT teachers.
✔ Reduced access to STREAM programs → Fewer STREAM centres and added fees for transportation may discourage student participation.
✔ Potentially fewer special education services → While YCDSB has not officially confirmed reductions, parents of students with special needs should stay alert for changes.
✔ Changes in school operations → Some extracurricular activities, field trips, or enrichment programs may be impacted due to funding constraints.
📌 For parents, this means paying closer attention to school board decisions and advocating for continued support in critical areas.
🔍 What Can Parents Do?
Although YCDSB’s financial challenges are complex, parents still have a voice in how decisions are made.
1️⃣ Stay Informed & Engage with School Councils
✔ Attend Catholic School Council (CSC) meetings at your child’s school.
✔ Ask about how these budget cuts will affect your child’s school directly.
✔ Work with other parents to suggest alternative solutions.
2️⃣ Contact Your School Board Trustee
✔ Trustees play a key role in making financial decisions for YCDSB schools.
✔ Express concerns about the ILIT program cuts or STREAM centre reductions.
✔ Provide feedback on how these changes will impact your child’s education.
3️⃣ Advocate for School Funding Improvements
✔ The Ontario government allocates funding to school boards.
✔ Parents can write to local MPPs and the Ontario Ministry of Education to advocate for increased funding for special education and literacy programs.
✔ Support initiatives that call for better provincial education funding.
📌 The more parents speak up, the more likely the school board will reconsider certain decisions.
📢 Final Thoughts: Why Parents Should Pay Attention to YCDSB’s Budget Cuts
✔ YCDSB is facing a serious financial crisis, leading to program cuts and changes.
✔ The discontinuation of the ILIT program could negatively impact struggling readers.
✔ Special education services, STREAM programs, and student support resources may also be affected.
✔ Parents need to get involved by engaging with school councils, trustees, and provincial education leaders.
💬 How do you feel about YCDSB’s financial recovery plan? Do you think cutting literacy programs is the right approach? Leave a comment below!
📌 Want more updates on YCDSB policies? Subscribe to my blog for the latest news and insights! 🚀
Yan Zhou on Catholic Education & Advocacy 
Leave a comment