Here's what London's cash-strapped Catholic school board is considering cutting

Facing a $3.7 million deficit, officials at the London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB) have made recommendations about where cuts should come this year and what areas might be on the chopping block the following year.

In 2025-2026, the budget calls for reducing the number school bus monitors, slashing the amount spent on computers, shrinking professional development for staff and teachers and decreasing sick time costs, budget documents show.

Preliminary budget numbers for 2026-2027 show savings could be made by:

• Cutting transportation to three specialty programs (St. Mary's Choir School, Catholic Central High school choir and the International Baccalaureate program at CCH);
• Not replacing some non-union staff when they're sick;
• Cutting programs with low enrollment, such as French immersion, particularly at St. Joseph's high school in St. Thomas, St. Mary's high school in Woodstock;
• Reducing photocopying and supplies, and slashing cash for guest speakers and travel;
• Reviewing special education to ensure "cost effectiveness while maintaining the required support."

The proposals have teachers, who will see the cuts directly impact classrooms, "deeply concerned," said Charlotte Wells, the president of the local Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association.

"Every time programs or services are reduced, our students lose out — and that’s heartbreaking for us to see, especially knowing all of this could have been avoided with adequate funding from the province," Wells said.

"When there is no money for classroom supplies, paper for photocopying, student programs, or guest speakers, students lose out on opportunities to learn and grow. As teachers, we do everything we can to mitigate these losses, but they are still apparent.

"Temporary portables have become years-long replacements for new schools that need to be built. With growing enrolment numbers and an ongoing teacher recruitment and retention crisis, problems in the education sector only seem to be getting worse."

A "deeper discussion" about the budget and what it means for the current and next school year will happen in December, after final enrollment numbers come in, said Gabe Pizzuti, the chair of the board of trustees.

Pizzuti and school board officials refused interview requests about the budget and what possible cuts could mean for students, parents, and staff. "Why even have a discussion about budget cuts now when they might not happen?" Pizzuti said.

But teachers say it's an important discussion to have because kids will suffer.

"No number of annual cuts to programs or services will ever fill the funding gap created by this government. These cuts, and other short-term measures, only deepen the long-term damage done to our education system," Wells said.

"Catholic teachers are doing everything possible to shield students from the fallout, but the system cannot continue to function on goodwill and sacrifice alone."

The potential reduction to programs and services were presented to trustees at a budget committee meeting in mid-October, when the board's superintendent of business and corporate services revealed the 2025-2026 operating budget and planning for 2026-2027.

The final draft budget will be presented at a meeting in early December and will include a clearer picture of the financial hole the board is in.

"Current budget pressures facing the LDCSB include costs related to transportation services, specialty programs, special education and portables," a spokesperson told CBC News in an email, saying someone may be available to speak about the budget in December.

"The LDCSB is the fastest growing school board in Ontario. Enrollment has surpassed 28,000 students, up from 18,500 just ten years ago. To help accommodate the growth, the LDCSB has added more than 170 new portables over the past four school years, including 37 for the current school year. "

The reduction in computer costs, a one-time cut, would mean a savings of $1.3 million, while reducing staff development and professional development would save the board $1.6 million this year. Decreasing the number of bus monitors would save the board $574,000.

School board officials have said they're also underfunded in special education, CPP and EI contributions, and long-term disability costs.

To accommodate the increased number of students, the board opened St. Gabriel Catholic elementary school in northwest London in January, and is building an elementary school in Kilworth. There are plans to build two new elementary schools in London, and new high schools in London and St. Thomas.

But the teachers' union called on the province to pump more money into education, saying that the money spent per-pupil by the Ford government has fallen when inflation and enrolment growth are factored in.

"No number of annual cuts to programs or services will ever fill the funding gap created by this government," Wells said.

"These cuts, and other short-term measures, only deepen the long-term damage done to our education system."