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Many students with ASD and learning disabilities need one-on-one instruction. Noelle Mikkelsen, a reading intervention teacher in Aurora, recalls a student so distressed by reading difficulties that he self-harmed during lessons.

“This is one of many examples why Tier 3 reading interventions are essential,” Mikkelsen told .

Yet, the York Catholic District School Board its itinerant literacy intervention program (ILIT). This program provided daily, multi-sensory reading instruction to struggling students. The board says it cut ILIT to save money, despite its proven success.

The Ministry of Education funds early screening and reading support for students in senior kindergarten to Grade 2. But Mikkelsen says special education services receive none of this funding, leaving older struggling readers without help.

“The absence of funding directed toward special education means that school boards are not fulfilling their obligations to provide equitable access to education for all students, including those with reading disabilities,” she said.

“A true Tier 3 reading intervention requires daily, structured, evidence-based instruction,” Mikkelsen said. “Special education teachers simply don’t have the time.”

Without proper intervention, struggling readers face lifelong challenges. Poor literacy skills affect mental health, self-esteem and career opportunities.

Teachers, parents and education support workers are left scrambling to fill gaps with inadequate resources.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) also criticized the government’s approach in response to the Ontario Autism Coalition’s report released in January.

“This is a crisis manufactured by a government that has prioritized cuts over compassion and austerity over access,” ETFO president Karen Brown said in a statement.

“Their cuts have forced school boards to reduce much-needed special education programming, leaving some of our most vulnerable students without the resources and support they need to thrive.”

Underfunding in education is forcing school boards into , affecting programs, students, and the .

Advocates also point to the growing need for mental health-related support in schools. Without adequate funding for student and family assistance, schools may see an increase in violence and behavioural challenges.

Addressing these concerns will require more than temporary funding boosts — it demands a systemic change in how education is prioritized in Ontario.

“The province should provide consistent, protected funding directed to special education departments,” Mikkelsen said.

According to ETFO, despite government claims of increased funding, Ontario schools receive $1,500 less per student than in 2018, when the Ford government was first elected.

“This is equivalent to $3.2 billion in cuts for the 2024-2025 school year,” said Brown. “Disturbingly, this is the estimated cost of the rebate cheques the Ford government is sending to all Ontarians.”

The government must reverse its harmful cuts, reinvest in special education, fix the special education funding formula, and adopt policies that reflect the realities in Ontario’s classrooms, Brown urged.

Here are the education promises from major parties in the 2025 Ontario election

PC Party

PC Leader Doug Ford’s party has not released detailed education plans. However, just before the election, the government announced $1.3 billion in funding to build or expand 45 schools.

New Democratic Party (NDP)

Leader Marit Stiles’s pledges to invest an additional $830 million per year to address school repairs. The NDP says it would increase funding by $1,500 per elementary and secondary school student and permanently boost base funding for Ontario’s post-secondary sector. The NDP also plans to improve the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), eliminate student loan interest, convert loans to grants, and fund the Université de Sudbury.

Liberal Party

Under Bonnie Crombie, the Liberals propose funding post-secondary institutions to reduce reliance on international student tuition, capping international student enrolment at 10 per cent per institution. They say they would eliminate OSAP loan interest and defer repayment until recipients earn at least $50,000 annually. Additionally, the party plans to support 40,000 new paid co-op, internship, and apprenticeship positions through employer tax incentives.

Green Party

Leader Mike Schreiner proposed a 20-per-cent increase in post-secondary funding, shifting to an enrolment-based model with adjustments for inflation. The party says it would convert OSAP loans to grants for lower-income students and eliminate interest on student debt. The party also supports an additional $1,500 per elementary and secondary student, improved student support services, ending academic streaming, capping class sizes in the mid-20s, and implementing a provincewide school meal program by 2030. Their plan also includes clearing the public school repair backlog and ensuring rural families can afford child care.