The Ford government’s slightly increasing overall education funding for the school year starting in September, but rising enrolment means the amount Ontario’s school boards will receive per-student, will drop, by $56 for each pupil.

Overall, funding for 2019-20 will be $24.66-billion year, versus $24.53-billion this year.

Education Minister Lisa Thompson’s also telling boards with a $1.6-billion-attrition protection fund, ”it is expected” they will not lay off teachers because of higher class sizes and e-learning changes.

For example, if a school board has 10 fewer retirements than expected, it could draw on the fund to avoid laying off 10 teachers.

The chair of the Toronto Catholic District School Board calls the money ”a smoking gun,” adding it points to exactly what the government’s trying to do – eliminate one-quarter of provincial high school teaching positions.