Learning and Working Conditions Will Continue to Deteriorate

For years, Manitoba’s public schools have been asked to do more with less, and this year’s education funding announcement offers no relief, says the Manitoba Teachers’ Society.

“Classroom support for next year is below inflation, which represents a decline in real funding. This does not meet growing student needs and does nothing to repair the damage of chronic underfunding in public schools across this province,” said Lillian Klausen, President of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society. “Classrooms have been operating under immense strain for almost a decade. We are now in a crisis.”

Over the past several weeks, the Manitoba Teachers’ Society asked teachers, counsellors, and clinicians a simple question: What does underfunding look like in your school—and what would help right now?

More than 200 educators responded directly to the questions. While hundreds more shared, liked and commented with their own stories on the social media posts.

“What they shared should concern every parent and every Manitoban,” said Klausen. “Their experiences paint a clear picture of a system stretched beyond its limits.”

It looks like classrooms that are larger and more complex than ever before, almost half of high school teachers report having at least one class with 30 or more students – including multiple learners with significant and diverse needs — without the staffing or supports required to meet those needs.

It looks like repeated classroom evacuations, unanswered calls for emergency support, and children with complex needs waiting years for assessments.

“Violence in schools is rising, not because students are ‘bad,’ but because their needs are going unmet in overcrowded, under-supported classrooms,” said Klausen. “Over half of Manitoba educators report that violence has worsened over the course of their careers, and nearly half experienced threats, physical violence, or attempted assaults in the past year.”

“These incidents are the predictable outcome of class sizes and class complexity that exceed available supports,” she added.

When early intervention is unavailable and educational assistants, counsellors, and clinicians are stretched thin, behaviours escalate. When crisis supports are limited or absent, teachers and students are left to manage unsafe situations alone.

“Funding decisions that fail to address class size and complexity don’t just strain educators, they put students at risk,” said Klausen.

Underfunding also shows up in student support services, with some guidance counsellors responsible for up to 500 students and speech-language pathologists carrying caseloads of 90 children.

“We are hearing from educators that students with significant needs are spending hours disengaged, sometimes watching YouTube videos, because there is simply no one available to support them,” Klausen said. “Inclusion without appropriate supports is unsustainable. Students don’t get what they need, and teachers cannot meet the demands placed on them without proper resources.”

Since 2017, the proportion of teachers reporting more than six students requiring additional support in a single classroom has nearly tripled, from eight per cent to 23 per cent, while resources have failed to keep pace.

“These are not isolated incidents. They are the predictable result of a system that has been underfunded year after year,” she said. “And all of this comes at a cost — teacher burnout.”

Educators, she said, are not asking for extravagance.

“They are asking for the basics: manageable class sizes, appropriate supports for complex classrooms, adequate staffing, timely access to clinicians, safe and sanitary learning spaces, current learning materials, and the resources students need to thrive.”

Minister Schmidt emphasized “stable and predictable” funding in her announcement; funding that consistently falls below meeting student needs may be deemed stable and predictable, but we’re advocating for funding that would provide an equitable and quality education for all students.

“Manitoba’s students have been waiting too long for adequate support,” she said. “It is unfortunate that, based on today’s announcement, they will continue to wait while needs continue to balloon.”