St. Clair College’s faculty union says staffing cuts outlined in the school’s newly approved budget will affect teaching positions this fall, but the full impact is still unclear.
As AM800 reported, the college's board of directors approved its 2026-27 budget on Tuesday night projecting a $5.5 million deficit.
OPSEU Local 138 represents 1,000 faculty members and president Mark Colangelo says any reduction in programs or course offerings directly reduces the number of faculty needed.
Colangelo said about 37 faculty members are retiring this spring through a voluntary exit program, which will help avoid full-time layoffs this year.
"That will have an impact on what's available to be taught from a part-time perspective, because some of those folks will be replaced by part-timers, and then there will also be full-timers who are going to be hired to fill in some of those positions as well," said Colangelo.
"So we're really in this kind of moving target as what it's going to look like in the fall."
Colangelo said while retirements have helped ease pressure this year, the longer-term outlook depends on whether government funding improves.
He added that college administration has assured the union there will be no full-time layoffs at this time, but there is still fear and anxiety among union members who remain cautious about future budgets.
"If we don't get an increase in funding from this government, and we are projecting to have a budget deficit next year, what does the following year look like," said Colangelo.
"Are we going to be looking at potential campus closures? Are we going to be looking at laying off full-time faculty because that's what happening at other colleges across the province."
In its budget report, the college said international enrolment had dropped by 93 per cent since 2023.
Colangelo said the federal cap on international students is a major factor, but it has also exposed long-standing provincial underfunding that colleges had been offsetting with international tuition.
"With the removal of the international students, it's now been laid bare that we have a government that is not funding post-secondary to the level that is required for it to be successful, and provide the quality education that Ontarians deserve," he said.
Colangelo said recent changes to the OSAP funding model will make it harder for many lower-income students to attend college, which could further reduce enrolment.