Ontario's teachers have rejected a request from the Ministry of Education to let retired teachers work longer, saying their needs to be a real solution to staff shortages.

Earlier this month, the Ontario Teachers' Federation sent out a news release that said subsidies established by the previous Liberal government for additional qualifications in math "are coming to an end."

Ontario's auditor general opened the education ministry's books to examine $3.8 million in payments to unions, but was "surprised" to find an additional $80 million in funding, about a quarter of that with "no strings attached."