By MPP Bobbi Ann Brady
In a column from earlier this year, I echoed words I’ve been saying since my first election in 2022 “…barriers within our schools are growing faster than our solutions.” And overstretched and underfunded special education support systems were part of my gripe. I have been joined in that sentiment by a chorus of people including parents, students, teachers, the Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario (ETFO), and various education stakeholders from across the province. Joining the choir is the Auditor General of Ontario with her recently released Special Report 2026 – Special Education Needs.
The Auditor General, Shelly Spence, confirms what many of us have known for years, Ontario’s classrooms are in trouble.
Ms. Spence’s report assessed whether the Ministry of Education and school boards have the tools, procedures, and funding to provide special education programs and services that comply with parameters and meet students’ needs. Unfortunately, her audit saw many students waiting months for specialist assessments, and about a third waiting over a year. The report also uncovered a lack of standard criteria and guidelines for identifying and supporting students. Sixty per cent of teachers reported they received minimal or no training in the development and implementation of Individual Education Plans. Between 49 and 72 per cent of the time, staff absences and vacancies remained unfilled by qualified individuals. I found it shocking where the report uncovered that students with specials needs were sometimes sent home, or asked to stay home, without schools formally tracking reasons why, how many times it happened, or providing any documentation.
Other points the ETFO drew from the report was 46 of the 72 Ontario school boards together spent nearly $400 million more than their special education funding allocation in 2023-24. And they noted this report is reminiscent of the ETFO’s own 2025 report, Promises Unfulfilled: Addressing the Special Education Crisis in Ontario. That report flagged the “severe and growing gaps in special education funding, staffing, and service delivery.” The ETFO made multiple recommendations to mitigate the problems such as hiring specialized staff, reducing wait times, class size caps, increasing funding to ensure children with special needs are able to access a comprehensive range of special education placements.
This speaks to a point I’ve made multiple times that classroom complexity has far outpaced our support systems. We possess a varied array of learning requirements; however, the number of educational assistants, special education teachers, and therapists has not increased accordingly. A significant number of these well-trained professionals are exiting the field entirely due to exhaustion, leaving those who remain under immense pressure.
This situation impacts every child, not solely those with special needs. The challenges include: educators being compelled to shift from teaching to managing crises, which diminishes instructional time; students who do not have recognized needs experiencing limited academic and social development due to frequent interruptions that hinder their progress; and rising violence in conventional classrooms is fostering an atmosphere that is neither peaceful nor supportive of learning.
If my paragraphs sound familiar, they should. I’m frustrated I’m still saying the same thing since my first election in 2022 that we must re-imagine some of our critical systems. And education professionals and parents and students have been saying it to this government since 2018. Seemingly to no avail. But I’ll keep on top of this issue, and I know I’ll be backed up by a legion of folks who want the best education system we can get. Students deserve nothing less.
Bobbi Ann Brady is the MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk