Toronto District School Board
Skip to main content

Developing the 2023-2024 Budget

March 22, 2023 – The Chair of the Board and the Director of Education have written to the Minister of Education and the provincial government to request that pandemic-related costs incurred by the TDSB are repaid to the Board, so that we can continue to deliver the programs and services that students require for academic success, safety and well-being.

The TDSB incurred approximately $70.1 million in pandemic-related costs that were not covered by the Ministry of Education. The Board was required to use its own resources of approximately $55.1 million to cover additional staffing costs and $15 million for other COVID-19 related expenditures.

The impacts of the pandemic are not over and the TDSB still needs to provide additional transition supports. $31.5 million of pandemic funding, which is being ended by the Province, allowed the TDSB to put an additional 485 staff resources into the system. This included teachers, social workers, child and youth workers, caretaking and vice-principals, among other categories.  Read the Chair and Director's full letter.

Staff Allocation  

School-based staff allocation is a key component of the TDSB’s budget process, with approximately 65% of the Board’s budget spent on school-based staffing costs. Every year, staff allocation is guided by a number of factors including student enrolment, collective agreements, class sizes caps and averages, and the TDSB’s commitment to equity, student achievement and well-being. This year, the following key factors have also impacted the staff allocation process:

  1. The elimination of Ministry COVID-19 funding that was initially provided in 2021-22, totalling $31.5 million and representing 485.5 school-based positions for the TDSB.
  2. The significant use of reserves by the TDSB over the past three years to support approximately $70.1 million in pandemic-related costs that were not covered by Ministry funding.
  3. The Board’s forecasted deficit of $61M due to Ministry funding gaps in a number of areas.

The Board continues to advocate to the Ministry of Education to provide adequate and sustainable funding to support student achievement and well-being.

For more information, please see the School-Based Staff Allocation 2023-24: Teachers and Support Staff (Part 1) and the School-Based Staff Allocation 2023-2024: Non-Classroom and Support Staff (Part 2) report.

The Budget Process

In the spring of each year, the Ministry of Education announces revisions to education funding (Grants for Student Needs) and the amounts that school boards will receive for the coming year. Funding for education is determined through a set of provincial benchmark costs for the major components of education operations, as well as the number of students. By law, school boards are required to balance their budgets by June 30. TDSB Trustees and staff work together to create a balanced budget that best supports the achievement and well-being of all students within the funding provided by the province.

The TDSB’s annual operating budget is approximately $3.4 billion and we are committed to using these resources as responsibly and effectively as possible. However, the funding provided by the government does not fully meet the needs of students in Toronto.

As the largest and most diverse school board in the country, the TDSB has a unique set of needs when it comes to what is required to best support our students and communities. To ensure that we continue to support all students, we developed the Multi-Year Strategic Plan to set direction and identify system goals. The focus of the Multi-Year Strategic Plan is to ensure that every student has equitable access to programs and resources, and increased opportunities that lead to success.