Triple-grade plan slammed

Kensington parents very frustrated’ with proposal to combine three classes

- ISABEL TEOTONIO

Parents at Kensington Community School protest plans to combine classes for students in Grades 4 to 6 next fall under one teacher. With just 120 pupils from JK to Grade 6, the school is losing 2.5 teacher positions.

Students and parents protested outside a Toronto school Wednesday morning, voicing concerns about a plan to combine three grades in one class taught by a single teacher.

The move, slated to take effect next year, means one teacher at Kensington Community School will oversee a class with kids in grades 4, 5 and 6.

“Parents across the community are very frustrated,” said Sepideh Shahi, co-chair of the school’s parent council, noting that in addition to creating a triple-grade class, the school is losing 2.5 teaching positions for the 2024-25 academic year. “It’s simple math: You’ll have one teacher and three curriculums and six hours … There is no way that you can go to the depth and breadth of those three curriculums in those six hours.”

About 50 community members gathered before class outside the school, on College Street near Bathurst Street. Some held signs, such as “Funding Cuts Hurt Kids” and “No Teacher Cuts,” and chanted “fund our schools,” while passing motorists honked in support.