For Immediate Release (September 8, 2026)
| MEDIA RELEASE |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 8, 2026
A Strong School Year Starts with Time for Every Student
As classrooms reopen, TLETL asks families to consider what class size looks like from a child’s desk—not from a provincial spreadsheet.
LINDSAY, ON — On the first morning of school, a teacher may welcome a class that includes a child reading well above grade level, another still building foundational skills, a student learning English, several students with individual education plans and children carrying the ordinary nerves that come with a new year.
The room may look calm from the hallway. Inside it, the educator is already making dozens of decisions: who needs reassurance, who needs a challenge, who may need an assessment, which family should receive a call and how to build a classroom where every child feels known.
That work depends heavily on time—and class size determines how that time is divided.
Consider a split Grade 3/4 classroom in a smaller Trillium Lakelands school. The teacher is not simply teaching one lesson to one group. Different curriculum expectations, different reading levels and different student needs must be managed in the same space. Add one unexpected behaviour concern or one student who needs sustained one-to-one support, and the amount of attention available to everyone changes immediately.
| “Class size is not an abstract number when you are the child waiting for feedback, the parent hoping someone notices a change, or the teacher trying to reach every student before a small struggle becomes a larger one. Smaller, manageable classes give educators a better chance to know students well and respond early.” — Mike De Rose, President, TLETL |
Larger schools in Lindsay, Bracebridge or Minden may have more staff in the building, but they can also face enrolment pressure, crowded rooms and a wide range of needs concentrated in one class. Small rural schools face different challenges, including split grades and fewer people available to absorb an unexpected need.
TLETL is not claiming that class size is the only factor in student success. Skilled educators, strong school leadership, special education supports, professional services and family partnerships all matter.
But class size shapes how effectively all of those pieces can work. It affects how often a teacher can sit beside a struggling reader, provide meaningful feedback on writing, de-escalate a conflict before it grows or speak with a parent before the end of the day.
| “Parents hear a great deal about efficiency in education. We are asking them to think about effectiveness too. A classroom can be technically staffed and still leave one educator stretched across more needs than any person can reasonably meet at once.” — Mike De Rose, President, TLETL |
As the school year continues, TLETL will advocate for class-size protections and education funding that reflect the actual complexity of elementary classrooms.
TLETL is also inviting families to share what helped their child feel known, supported and ready to learn at the start of a school year through our Facebook page. Those experiences should be part of the public conversation about what strong schools require.
-30-
| MEDIA CONTACT | Mike De Rose, President, TLETL 705-324-4751 | president@tletl.ca | tletl.ca |
ABOUT TLETL
The Trillium Lakelands Elementary Teacher Local represents elementary teachers working in Trillium Lakelands District School Board communities across Haliburton County, the City of Kawartha Lakes and the District Municipality of Muskoka. TLETL advocates for strong publicly funded schools, safe and supportive learning environments, and the working conditions educators need to help students succeed.
Past Releases