HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1998-11-18, Page 6School Funding:
Long-Term Solutions
That Put Kids First
We believe every child in this province
deserves an equal chance at life.
In the past, school funding was anything but fair
because it was based in part on how much each
school board could raise in local taxes. Now,
thanks to student-based funding, every child
in Ontario can have fair access to a high-quality
education, no matter where they live.
More money for classroom education,
less for bureaucratic waste.
For many years, parents complained about
school boards spending too much on overhead
and administration, and too little on classroom needs.
We asked boards to find savings in overhead and
administration, then apply these funds to classroom-
needs. Most boards responded in good faith. A few
didn't. Instead, they threatened to close schools.
We could not stand by and let them
threaten our kids' schools.
To protect children from unnecessary school closures,
we came up with four different solutions.
A permanent 20% top-up grant
for schools with fewer students.
Previously, a school built for 100 students that had
only 80 students enrolled would have lost 20%
of its operating budget. Now, schools operating at
less than full capacity will receive a top-up grant
of up to 20% to bring them closer to, or up
to, full operational funding.
New permanent allowances for schools
with non-standard design features.
Some schools have unusual design features that
incur additional costs. For example, many older
schools have extra-wide hallways that need to be
heated and cleaned. These unique design features
have now been taken into consideration when
calculating school funding.
More time for school boards
to move money into the classroom.
To prevent certain -boards from unnecessarily
closing schools, we're giving them more time at
current funding levels to find the savings we know
exist. Boards facing funding increases will receive
their increases as originally scheduled.
Professional third-party help to find
savings in administration and overhead.
In response to a request for help from the head of
the Toronto District School Board, the Government
will provide them, and any other board requesting it,
with a team of management experts to help them
find ways to save money in operations and
administration.
An equal chance for every child
remains our goal.
We're more committed than ever to raising the
quality of education for all Ontario children.
But we realize that it will take time for our
principles to become reality. Not to mention
a little give and take from everyone.
Call 1-888-848-5905 and get the facts.
Ontario
PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1998.
Letters
Former director applauds board's efforts
THE EDITOR,
Kids and communities
across rural Ontario are
deeply indebted to Abby
Armstrong, chair of the
Avon Maitland DSB, and
Superintendent Janet Baird-
Jackson, for the success of
their relentless quest to
obtain a stay of execution
for AMDSB schools and
other small schools across
Ontario. Without their
persistent leadership, and
the public and private tussle
with the provincial
politicians and Ministry of
Education bureaucrats, the
recent changes in the pupil
accommodation grant in the
sadly flawed new funding
formula would not have
arrived.
The cash reprieve, even if
it is only for one year, will
allow all parties to have time
for sober second thought.
They will be able to
reconsider the real impact of
the new approach to
education funding which
was intended to bring equity
and fairness to kids across
Ontario.
The hiatus will also
provide time for the local
MPPs to join with their rural
counterparts elsewhere and
support the local school
boards seeking changes and
improvements to the funding
formula. A special policy for
rural areas is required in
education as much as a
distinctive policy was
needed for rural hospitals.
Throughout the saga of
the unfolding and ever-
amending funding formula,
there has been much distrust
created. Dollar
discrepancies have pitted
MPPs against the board and
parents have been caught in
Continued from page 4
deceit and unintelligent
legislation.
The provincial Tory Party
has now joined in by putting
forward a fear-inspired
campaign against the leader
of the Liberal Party of
Ontario. This is happening
because the people of
Ontario have made it clear
that they do not want
community schools to
close, local hospitals to
close, medical treatment to
be based on the ability to
pay, the poor to die of
hunger or exposure, older
downtown areas to decay in
the American model,
children robbed of their
access to equality of
opportunity and the hard
working people of Ontario
demeaned,. insulted and
constantly attacked by Mike
Harris.
It is becoming clear that a
the middle. Mowat Block
bureaucrats presented the
premier, minister and MPPs
with highly speculative
figures which were then
touted as 'carved in stone'.
While school board
administrators applied
sketchy formulae to real
numbers, real kids and real
schools, many discrepancies
became apparent.
As funding components
proved not to work, many
changes had to be made.
Special education funding,
transportation, and pupil
accommodation were just
three of several more areas
that had to be changed. Even
the misnomer for 'rural and
remote' caused an almost $1
million miscalculation for
the local board.
The finger pointing should
have been redirected to the
Bay Street towers where
many of these financial
stupidities originated. The
numbers changed constantly
— and they will continue to
do so as the effort persists to
make the funding system
workable.
In fact, this 'new' funding
formula is not really new at
all. Essentially, it contains
the same key components as
the old system. It
incorporates only two major
changes. The total dollar
amount is now controlled in
Queen's Park. Secondly,
there is a guarantee for
reduced funding for at least
the next two years for
AMDSB and similar public
boards.
Given several years of
seven-digit cost cutting by
what were and still are the
lowest spending public
boards in Ontario, it is
almost certain that the new
substantial majority do not
like the hard edged,
unforgiving, steely and
divisive future that Harris is
leading us to. However, this
fiscally stark, greed driven
and emotionally barren
future, according to Harris,
cannot be hidden behind
bandaids and diversionary
attack ads. The people of
Ontario will not be
brainwashed.
In Ontario we, the
common people, pride
ourselves for being
considerate and we try to be
socially just. We not only
want the best for ourselves,
but also for our neighbours
and their children. I guess
Mike Harris has good
reason to be very afraid.
Angelo Ippolito
2 Jordon Drive,
PO Box 71
Belgrave,
funding formula will be
fatal. It is an almost absolute
guarantee that the AMDSB
and other small boards have
been placed in a financially
untenable position. They
will be bankrupt before the
arrival of the millennium.
With insolvency, the
province will eliminate local
boards entirely. To suggest
the simplistic cost-saving
solution of further reducing
an already decimated senior
administration is little more
than a detractor to hide the
reality of this funding
travesty.
It is time to rally behind
Chair Abby and her senior
administrative support as
they continue the fight to
save schools. More
refinements are needed for
the funding mechanism — to
guarantee that small schools
and public school boards
will not only survive but will
continue to thrive as public
education in Ontario enters
the next century.
Paul Carroll.
Writer condemns
Harris's tactics