Five teachers at OSS and three teachers at Twin Lakes are among the casualties; education director earlier said ‘programs could be impacted’ as a result
Layoff notices were handed to nearly 100 teachers within the Simcoe County District School Board today, with the union representing them calling for answers from the provincial government.
On April 16, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) — representing approximately 1,100 teachers in the Simcoe County public system — said in a news release that the SCDSB delivered redundancy letters to 99 full‑time and part‑time secondary teachers.
SCDSB trustees were told last month a reduction in staff was likely, due to declining enrolment at the board.
Five teachers at Orillia Secondary School and three teachers at Twin Lakes are among the casualties.
“Our teachers are an incredibly dedicated group of educators who have been feeling the strain of an underfunded system for years,” said Jen Hare, president of OSSTF in Simcoe County, in a news release.
“The important work they are doing to support their students every single day makes it all the more heartbreaking when they are told they are no longer needed. The system needs them. Your kids need them,” she said. “This government has chosen not to provide the necessary funding.”
Typically, school boards across Ontario are given funding annually from the Ministry of Education to run their schools. The amount each board is given is decided in the spring and is tied to enrolment, with boards receiving a certain amount per student enrolled.
If enrolment drops so does the amount the ministry provides the board to run programming.
According to Hare, the teachers who receive layoff notices will have the option to be on the spare list, and they could be recalled at any time if enrolment projections change, funding gets adjusted or other teachers choose to leave.
Trustees at the SCDSB were first informed publicly that there would likely be a reduction in enrolment within the board this September at a business and facilities meeting on March 4, as part of a discussion on budget estimates for 2026/27.
Trustees were told that the board has 56,936 students across all their schools this year, but enrolment is expected to be down next year to 56,358, or a one per cent decrease overall. Trustees asked questions at that meeting on the impacts, and were told more details would be coming when the 2026/27 budget was presented in May.
“Programs could be impacted,” said education director Dawn Stephens at that time. “The number of staff will be impacted based on projected enrolment.”
Up until now, secondary student enrolment at the board had increased steadily year-over-year, with the union estimating between 2018 and 2026 enrolment has gone up for secondary schools more than seven per cent.
While growth had originally been expected to continue at the board this year, enrolment in the elementary panel only increased by 215 students, while decreasing by 368 students in the secondary panel.
Hare confirmed this week that the union has been informed by the board it is preparing for 1,000 fewer students in their secondary system compared to last year.
“The loss of 99 teachers will have immediate and serious consequences for students across Barrie, Orillia, Bradford, Collingwood, and surrounding communities,” said Hare, noting immediate impacts could include fewer course selection options, overcrowded classrooms and reduced extra-curricular opportunities.
“Cutting teaching positions will further strain schools, placing unsustainable demands on remaining staff and increasing the risk of student behavioural challenges and violence across the board,” she said.
When trustees discussed budget assumptions in March, long-time Orillia/Severn/Ramara trustee Jodi Lloyd noted she’d served as a trustee during periods of declining enrolment over the years.
“It does affect the bottom line, and what we can offer. I’m hopeful our decline is not continuous and accumulative because it will affect the budget, what we can do, and what we can offer,” said Lloyd. “Cuts had to be made and those are difficult to do. I’m hopeful this is a blip.”
A representative from the Simcoe County branch of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario confirmed they haven’t received layoff notices for any of their members for the fall.
Breakdown of teacher layoffs by high school, according to OSSTF
Banting Memorial High School – 7
Barrie North Collegiate – 10
Bradford District High School – 12
Bear Creek Secondary School – 2
Collingwood Collegiate Institute – 9
Eastview Secondary School – 1
Elmvale District High School – 5
Georgian Bay District Secondary School – 8*
Innisdale Secondary School – 7*
Nantyr Shores Secondary School – 12*
Maple Ridge Secondary School – 8
Nottawasaga Pines Secondary School – 6*
Orillia Secondary School – 5
Right Turn Program – 2
Simcoe Shores Secondary School – 1
Stayner Collegiate Institute – 3
Twin Lakes Secondary School – 3
*Two teachers given layoff notices this week are attached to two schools each (one semester at one school, and one at the other). The teacher is included both school counts.