Having a qualified teacher in every class, every day, would seem the most basic thing one could expect from a public education system. Ontario is failing to meet this standard in spectacular fashion.

A March report by the advocacy group People for Education found that 24 per cent of Ontario elementary schools and 35 per cent of secondary schools have daily teacher shortages. The information comes from a survey that included principals from 70 of Ontario’s 72 school boards. The survey included 21 per cent of publicly funded schools.