2011-12

Grants for Student Needs (GSN)

Toronto District School Board

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Table of Contents

FOUNDATION GRANTS ................................................................................................ 4

Pupil Foundation Grant ................................................................................................ 4

School Foundation Grant ............................................................................................. 5

Class Size Funding ...................................................................................................... 6

Ministry Staffing Model ................................................................................................ 7

SPECIAL PURPOSE GRANTS ...................................................................................... 7

SPECIAL EDUCATION GRANTS .................................................................................. 8

Special Education Per Pupil Amount (SEPPA) ............................................................ 8

High Needs Amount (HNA) Allocation ......................................................................... 9

Special Equipment Amount (SEA) Allocation .............................................................. 9

Special Incidence Portion (SIP) ................................................................................... 9

Behaviour Expertise Amount (BEA) Allocation .......................................................... 10

Section 23 Facilities Amount (FA) Allocation ............................................................. 10

LANGUAGE GRANTS .................................................................................................. 12

French as a Second Language (FSL) ........................................................................ 12

English as a Second Language/English Skills Development (ESL/ESD) ................... 12

FIRST NATIONS, MÉTIS, AND INUIT EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT .......................... 13

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES GRANTS ..................................................................... 13

Demographic Allocation ............................................................................................. 14

Literacy and Math Outside the School Day Allocation ............................................... 14

Student Success, Grades 7 to 12 Allocation .............................................................. 14

School Effectiveness Framework Allocation .............................................................. 14

Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership (OFIP) Tutoring ....................................... 14

Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) .......................................................................... 15

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SAFE SCHOOLS SUPPLEMENT................................................................................. 15

PROGRAM ENHANCEMENT GRANT ......................................................................... 16

CONTINUING EDUCATION AND OTHER PROGRAMS GRANT ............................... 16

TEACHER QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE GRANT ......................................... 18

STUDENT TRANSPORTATION GRANT ..................................................................... 19

DECLINING ENROLMENT ADJUSTMENT (DEA) ....................................................... 20

NEW TEACHER INDUCTION PROGRAM (NTIP)........................................................ 20

RESTRAINT SAVINGS ................................................................................................. 20

SCHOOL BOARD ADMINISTRATION AND GOVERNANCE GRANT ........................ 21

SCHOOL FACILITY OPERATIONS ............................................................................. 21

Base School Operations ............................................................................................ 21

Top-Up for School Operations ................................................................................... 22

Community Use of Schools ....................................................................................... 22

Software License Fee ................................................................................................ 22

Section 23 Facilities ................................................................................................... 22

RENEWAL ALLOCATION ............................................................................................ 23

Base Renewal Allocation ........................................................................................... 23

Top-Up for School Renewal ....................................................................................... 23

Enhancement to Address Deferred Maintenance Needs ........................................... 24

DEBT ............................................................................................................................ 24

SUMMARY OF TDSB OPERATING & CAPITAL ALLOCATIONS (2011-12 BUDGET) ...................................................................................................................................... 25

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FOUNDATION GRANTS

Foundation Grants support the components of a classroom education that are required

by and generally common to all students and schools. There are two components of

the Foundation Grants:

• Pupil Foundation, and

• School Foundation.

The Pupil Foundation Grant provides the same amount of funding per student to all

school boards and is based on average daily enrolment (ADE), which is an average of

the enrolment counts in October and March of each year. ADE includes adjustments for

full-time equivalents. For example, a Kindergarten student in a half-day program is

counted as one-half a student. All grants that are based on enrolment use the ADE

measure.

Pupil Foundation Grant

The Pupil Foundation Grant funds the costs of classroom education listed below:

• teachers

• occasional teachers

• educational assistants

• classroom supplies

• textbooks and learning materials

• classroom computers

• library services

• guidance services

• classroom consultants (for example, teachers who are reading specialists

or who help other teachers develop and implement curriculum)

• professionals and paraprofessionals (such as social workers,

psychologists or computer technicians)

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School Foundation Grant

This grant provides funding for principals, vice-principals, secretaries and school

office supplies through a per school and student enrolment based calculation.

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Class Size Funding

Classroom funding was previously provided through the Pupil Foundation and

Primary Class Size Grants. The two grants have been merged into the Pupil

Foundation Grant.

The Ministry currently funds different class sizes for Primary (grades JK to 3), Full

Day Kindergarten, Intermediate (grades 4 to 8) and Secondary.

Primary (grades JK to 3)

• At least 90% of classes at 20 or fewer students,

• 100% of classes at 23 or fewer students, and

• All Grade 3-4 classes at 23 or fewer students.

Full Day Kindergarten

• System average of 26 or fewer students,

• Funding comes through Education Program Other (EPO) Grants. Eventually

this funding will be moved into the GSN,

• This grant provides for the additional teachers, early childhood educators,

special education supports and other operating costs.

Intermediate (Grades 4 to 8)

• Funded at a system average of 24.8 students per classroom for 2010-11.

The Ministry has funded a decrease of 0.1 per year since 2008-09.

• The Toronto District School Board average started at a lower point and will be

at an average of 23.5 students per class in 2010-11.

Secondary

• Funding is based on an average of 22 students per class with an average

credit load of 7.5.

• Class size caps are mandated within the collective agreements.

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Ministry Staffing Model

PrimaryPer 1,000 Students

Junior & IntermediatePer 1,000 Students

Per 1,000 Students

Classroom & Preparation Teachers 59.65 47.96 58.78Librarians 1.10Guidance 2.60Professionals & Paraprofessionals 2.21Classroom Consultants 0.54Educational Assistants 0.000.20

0.201.730.48

1.31

SPECIAL PURPOSE GRANTS

In addition to the Foundation Grant, all school boards are eligible to receive special

purpose grants. Special purpose grants recognize the different levels of support

required by boards and students related to location, student and school needs, and a

board’s demographic

profile.

GRANT TDSB TOTAL

Special Education Grant 315.7 MLanguage Grant 106.0 MFirst Nations, Métis & Inuit Education Supplement 1.2 MLearning Opportunities Grant 142.7 MSafe Schools Supplement 7.8 MProgram Enhancement Grant 5.3 MContinuing Education and Other Programs Grant 27.4 MCost Adjustment & Teacher Qualifications & Experience Grant 171.3 MNew Teacher Induction Program 1.4 MStudent Transportation Grant 48.0 MDeclining Enrolment Adjustment 2.3 MSchool Board Administration & Governance Grant 59.2 MSchool Facility Operations (includes Community use of Schools) 276.0 MRestraint Savings (0.9) M

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SPECIAL EDUCATION GRANTS

The Special Education Grants provide funding to support students with special needs.

Each school board receives this grant. School boards have flexibility in how they use

special education funding to meet the special education needs of their students. The

funding is used to pay for special education teachers, teaching assistants, other

professionals (such as psychologists or speech-language therapists), supplies and

other services.

Funding for special education may only be used for special education. Any unspent

funding must be placed in a special education reserve fund.

The Special Education Grant consists of the following components:

• Special Education Per Pupil Amount (SEPPA) - $163.2M,

• High Needs Amount (HNA) Allocation - $126.7M,

• Special Equipment Amount (SEA) Allocation, - $7.0M,

• Special Incidence Portion (SIP) Allocation - $4.5M,

• Behaviour Expertise Amount (BEA) Amount - $0.7M, and

• Facilities Amount (FA) Allocation (care and treatment) - $13.6M.

Special Education Per Pupil Amount (SEPPA)

SEPPA is allocated to help in the early identification of learning problems and other

exceptionalities of students and to provide them with additional supports. The

Special Education Per Pupil Amount (SEPPA) recognizes the cost of providing

additional assistance to the majority of students with special education needs.

SEPPA is allocated to boards on the basis of total enrolment, not just on the

students who have been identified as needing a special education program.

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High Needs Amount (HNA) Allocation

The High Needs Amount (HNA) Allocation addresses the cost of providing intensive

staff support required by students with high needs. The Ministry continues to

examine funding for students with high needs. The original claims process was too

labour intensive so the Ministry guaranteed stable funding for several years. In

2009-10, the Ministry introduced the Measures of Variability (MOV) allocation. This

statistical model attempts to create a Provincial pool of funding by clawing back 5%

of high needs funding and redistributing this funding based on enrolment, EQAO

data and other variables. For the Toronto District School Board, this resulted in a

funding loss of $1.2M in 2010-11 and $1.2M in 2011-12.

Special Equipment Amount (SEA) Allocation

Beginning in 2010-11, the Special Equipment Amount (SEA) Allocation is made up

of two components:

• A SEA per-pupil amount, and

• A SEA Claims-Based amount.

The new SEA per-pupil amount component is part of a 5 year plan to provide boards

with greater flexibility and predictability by converting part of the SEA allocation into

a single SEA per-pupil amount for all school boards by 2014-15.

Boards will continue to submit claims for purchases of other non-computer based

equipment to be utilized by students with special education needs, including sensory

equipment, hearing support equipment, vision support equipment, personal care

support equipment and physical assists support equipment.

Special Incidence Portion (SIP)

The Special Education Grant also includes a Special Incidence Portion (SIP) for

students with exceptionally high needs. SIP claims require approval from district

office staff of the Ministry of Education.

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The Special Incidence Portion (SIP) supports pupils who require more than two full-

time staff to address the health and safety needs of both the students who have

extraordinarily high needs related to their disabilities and/or exceptionalities and/or of

others at school. Eligibility criteria for SIP are outlined in the Special Education

Funding Guidelines.

Behaviour Expertise Amount (BEA) Allocation

Since 2008-09, the Province has provided Behaviour Expertise funding that allows

school boards to hire additional board level Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)

expertise to support principals, teachers, and multi-disciplinary transition teams.

Section 23 Facilities Amount (FA) Allocation

The Section 23 Facilities Amount (FA) Allocation is a claims-based allocation that

supports education programs for school-aged children and youth in government

approved care and/or treatment, custody and correctional facilities operated by the

Ministry of Children and Youth Services, the Ministry of Community and Social

Services, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and/or the Ministry of

Community Safety and Correctional Services. These facilities include hospitals,

children’s mental health centres, psychiatric institutions, detention and correctional

facilities, community group homes, and other social services agencies.

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LANGUAGE GRANTS

The Language Grants provide funding to meet school boards’ costs for language

instruction. Every school board receives a Language Grant, but school boards receive

different levels of funding based on their particular enrolments for language instruction.

French as a Second Language (FSL)

For English-language school boards, the Language Grant provides funding for core

French, extended French, and French immersion programs. The Toronto District

School Board received $30.0M in 2011-12.

English as a Second Language/English Skills Development (ESL/ESD)

The Language Grant also provides funding for English as a second language (ESL)

and English skills development (ESD) programs. These programs are for students

who were born in countries where English is not a first or standard language, and for

Canadian-born students whose language spoken at home is not English. The

Toronto District School Board received $75.9M for 2011-12.

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FIRST NATIONS, MÉTIS, AND INUIT EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT

The First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Education Supplement supports programs designed

for Aboriginal students as outlined in the Ontario First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Education

Policy Framework released in January 2007.

The First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Education Supplement has three allocations:

• Native Languages Allocation - $0.49M,

• Native Studies Allocation - $0.11 and

• Aboriginal per-Pupil Amount Allocation - $0.61M.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES GRANTS

The Learning Opportunities Grant includes six components:

• Demographic Allocation ($128.2M),

• Literacy and Math Outside the School Day Allocation ($3.1M),

• Student Success, Grades 7 to 12 Allocation ($8.7M),

• School Effectiveness Framework Allocation ($1.0M),

• Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership (OFIP) Tutoring Allocation ($1.0M),

and

• Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Allocation ($0.7M).

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Demographic Allocation

This component permits boards to offer a wide range of programs to improve the

educational achievement of students at risk of poor performance. Boards have the

flexibility to select programs that respond to local needs.

To establish funding levels, the demographic component uses social and economic

indicators that research shows are associated with students at risk of academic

difficulty. These indicators are low income, recent immigration, low parental

education, and lone parent status.

Literacy and Math Outside the School Day Allocation

This component allows boards to provide additional supports to enhance the literacy

and math skills of Grades 7 to 12 students at risk of not meeting the new curriculum

standards and the requirements of the Grade 10 literacy test. These courses or

programs may be provided during the summer and during the school year outside

the regular school day.

Student Success, Grades 7 to 12 Allocation

For 2011-12, funding is being provided for the Student Success, Grades 7 to 12

Allocation to assist students who may not achieve their educational goals. This

funding is to be used to enhance preparation of students for passing the Grade 10

literacy test, and to increase opportunities for students to participate in successful

school-to-work, school-to-apprenticeship, or school-to-college program pathways.

School Effectiveness Framework Allocation

The School Effectiveness Framework supports elementary schools and boards in

assessing school effectiveness so that plans for improvement can be put in place.

Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership (OFIP) Tutoring

The Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership (OFIP) Tutoring program supports

boards in initiating and expanding before- and after-school, weekend, and summer

tutoring programs. The OFIP Tutoring programs provide extra help to students who

are not yet achieving the provincial standard in reading, writing, or mathematics.

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Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)

The Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program allows students to customize their

high school experience and build on their strengths by focusing their learning on a

specific economic sector.

SAFE SCHOOLS SUPPLEMENT

In 2008–09, funding for safe schools became a part of the GSN as the Safe Schools

Supplement.

The supplement has two allocations: a Safe Schools Strategy Allocation (with a

Professional Support Staff Component and a Program and Support Component),

formerly allocated outside the GSN, and the Urban and Priority High Schools Allocation

for urban schools struggling with safety issues and other challenges. The Toronto

District School Board received $7.8M for 2011-12.

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PROGRAM ENHANCEMENT GRANT

The Program Enhancement Grant supports the Government’s commitment to providing

students with a well-rounded education through programs such as arts, music, physical

education, and outdoor education. This grant may be used to fund or enrich existing

programs or offer new programs. The Toronto District School Board received $5.3M for

2011-12.

CONTINUING EDUCATION AND OTHER PROGRAMS GRANT

The Continuing Education and Other Programs Grant supports adult day school

programs and continuing education programs, adult Native language, adult credit for

diploma, correspondence/self-study programs, secondary crossover or transfer courses,

summer school courses, elementary and secondary reach-ahead courses, elementary

international language courses, and Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition

(PLAR) for mature students.

The Continuing Education and Other Programs Grant consists of:

• Adult Day School - $0.7M,

• Summer School - $3.7M

• Continuing Education - $17.5M,

• International Languages, Elementary - $5.0M, and

• Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) - $0.4M.

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TEACHER QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE GRANT

The Teacher Qualifications and Experience Grant provide funding to help boards meet

teacher salary costs above the funding provided in the Foundation Grant.

Teachers in all school boards are paid according to their levels of qualifications and

their experience. School boards have different proportions of teachers with high levels

of qualifications and experience, so boards have varying salary costs. This grant

responds to the additional costs of higher teacher salaries due to these factors.

The Toronto District School Board received $171.3M for 2011-12.

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STUDENT TRANSPORTATION GRANT

This grant provides school boards with funding in order to transport students to and

from home and school, including transporting students with special needs. The Student

Transportation Grant is calculated through five factors:

• Cost Update Adjustment,

• Enrolment Adjustment,

• Routing Efficiency,

• Fuel Escalator and De-escalator, and

• Transportation to Provincial Schools.

In 2011-12, the Ministry will continue to focus on Student Transportation reforms that

strengthen management capacity through:

• Effectiveness and Efficiency (E & E) reviews of consortia operations, service

delivery, and resets of funding levels, and

• Pilots and sector-wide training on competitive procurement processes.

Once a consortium has achieved full consortium status, and E & E review is scheduled.

The E & E reviews are conducted by third party consultants under contract to the

Ministry. The Toronto District School Board is awaiting the results of its E & E review

that was conducted in December, 2010. The consultant report is anticipated in April,

2011. The Toronto District School Board received $48.1M for 2011-12.

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DECLINING ENROLMENT ADJUSTMENT (DEA)

Much of a school board’s revenue is determined by enrolment. As enrolment goes

down, so does revenue. This is appropriate because when there are fewer students,

boards no longer need the same number of teachers and other supports.

Board costs, however, do not decline in a way that is strictly proportional to declining

enrolment. Some costs can be adjusted easily. For example, the cost of classroom

teachers can be reduced by changing the arrangement of classes. But other costs

cannot be adjusted as easily or as quickly. The Declining Enrolment Adjustment (DEA)

recognizes that it takes time for boards to adjust their cost structures to declines in

enrolment. In the current year, the DEA provides full funding to cover the loss of other

grants due to the decline in enrolment for which costs are semi-fixed in nature. It also

provides for 50% of the prior year DEA grant and an additional 5% of the DEA grant

from two years prior. The Toronto District School Board received $2.3M in 2011-12.

NEW TEACHER INDUCTION PROGRAM (NTIP)

The New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) provides a full year of professional support

to new teachers to help them develop the requisite skills and knowledge to enable them

to be effective in the classroom. Funding is being allocated on the same basis as in

previous years. The Toronto District School Board received $1.4M in 2011-12.

RESTRAINT SAVINGS

The Public Sector Compensation Restraint to Protect Public Services Act 2010 has

been enacted which results in no funding for salary increases for staff that do not

bargain collectively. Principals and Vice-Principals are not included in the calculations

for non-bargaining staff.

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SCHOOL BOARD ADMINISTRATION AND GOVERNANCE GRANT

The School Board Administration and Governance Grant provides funding for the

governance of school boards, including trustees’ honoraria, the funding for parent

engagement, and the administrative costs of operating school board offices and central

facilities.

All school boards receive a base level of funding and additional funding determined by

the number of trustees and student enrolment.

School boards that receive increased funding under the demographic component of the

Learning Opportunities Grant also receive increased funding for board administration

and governance. The Toronto District School Board received $59.3M for 2011-12.

SCHOOL FACILITY OPERATIONS

The School Operations Allocation is made up of five components:

• Base School Operations - $239.9M,

• Top-up for School Operations - $31.6M,

• Community Use of Schools - $3.9M,

• Licensing and Related Fees for Approved Asset Management Software - $0.2M,

and

• Section 23 Programs in Board sites - $0.3M.

Base School Operations Base School Operations supports costs related to operating school facilities

including heating, lighting, maintenance and cleaning.

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The basis for this allocation is enrolment times established benchmark space

needed to educate a student times benchmark funding times supplementary area

factor (to support different building types). The calculations are as follows:

Enrolment Established Benchmark

Space Benchmark

Funding Supplementary Area Factor

Elementary X 9.7 M2 X 1.201 X $76.44

Secondary X 12.07M2 X 1.259 X $76.44

Continuing Education X 9.29M2 X 1.259 X $76.44

Top-Up for School Operations Top-up for school operations provides funding for schools with excess capacity up to

15% in 2011-12 (was 18% in 2010-11).

Schools opened after 2009-10 or having undergone significant renovations after

2009-10 do not qualify for top-up funding.

Community Use of Schools Community Use of Schools provides a source of funding allowing school boards to

reduce rental rates for school space for use by the community.

Software License Fee Software license fee covers the cost of use of the asset management software

regulated by the Ministry.

Section 23 Facilities Section 23 Facilities in Board Properties is funding that supports the cost of

operations in sites where Section 23 Programs run.

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RENEWAL ALLOCATION

The School Renewal Grants supports the costs of repairing and renovating our schools. The total allocation for 2011-12 is $41.5M. There are three components of the Renewal Grants:

• Base Renewal Allocation - $32.5M,

• Top-Up for School Renewal - $4.3M, and

• Enhancement to Address Deferred Maintenance Needs - $4.7M.

Base Renewal Allocation The Renewal Grant is based on enrolment, area benchmarks and age of buildings.

Top-Up for School Renewal The Top-up for School Renewal operates in the same manner as the School

Operations Top-up and in 2011-12 addresses excess capacity of up to 15% (was

18% in 2010-11), providing that no major renovations have occurred or the school

did not open after 2009-10.

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Enhancement to Address Deferred Maintenance Needs The Enhancement to Address Deferred Maintenance component supports additional

renewal work.

DEBT

The Ministry funds all Ministry-approved debt as principal and interest become due.

The following is a listing of debt supported by the Ministry:

• Good Places to Learn (GPL),

• Primary Class Size (PCS),

• 55 School Board Trust (capital project funding for projects started prior to

amalgamation),

• Not Permanently Financed (NPF) Debt (prior to amalgamation debt).

The total amount of funding of principal for 2011-12 is12.0M and interest for 2011-12 is

$44.2M.

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SUMMARY OF TDSB OPERATING & CAPITAL ALLOCATIONS (2011-12 BUDGET)

AllocationPupil Foundation 1,240,963,573$ School Foundation 170,889,645 Special Education 315,724,761 Language 105,965,959 Learning Opportunity 142,701,141 Continuing Education 27,371,102 Cost Adjustment & Teacher Qualifications 171,274,639 New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) 1,381,578 Restraint Savings (949,625) Transportation 48,065,313 Administration & Governance 59,258,779 School Operations 272,076,000 Community use of Schools 3,958,491 Declining Enrolment 2,319,233 Program Enhancement 5,317,150 First Nation, Métis & Inuit Education Supplemental Allocation 1,213,744 Safe Schools 7,808,208 Debt Interest 44,170,918 School Renewal 41,486,810 Total Allocation 2,660,997,419$