The Toronto public school board has reversed course on a controversial plan to eliminate a specialized music program next year, but questions remain about what music education will look like in the future.

In June, trustees at the Toronto District School Board approved a two-year plan to balance the budget and eliminate a $34 million deficit. Among the cost-cutting measures was the removal of the itinerant music instructor program and its 74 instructors — a decision that sparked public outcry .

But a recent directive from provincially appointed supervisor Rohit Gupta , who’s now running the board, means the program available in elementary schools will remain.

“I direct ... that the decision to eliminate the itinerant music instructor program for the 2026-2027 school year ... be

See Full Page