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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1996-04-17, Page 26tines -Advocate, April 17, 1996 . Carroll wants decisions By Cameron J. Wood Wingham Advance -Tim WINGHAM - Education has been on hold for the past three gov- ernments. This, according to Huron County Director of Education Paul Carroll, has meant excessive down- loading on the school system and a complex financing arrangement that penalizes responsible boards. Carroll has taken more than his fair share of criticism over how the school board establishes their own budget. But in his eyes, unless the reforms are forthcoming, one of the most important aspects of financing education is that the public at large must understand the complexity of the provincial grant structure and the taxation system as laid out in the province's Standard Mill Rate. In a tete-a-tete with the Advance - Times prior to last Thursday's pub- lic information session on the Hu- ron County Board of Education budget, Carroll outlined the process in which the board arrived at their 1996 financial statement, and the constraints recent cutbacks have placed on the school system. "I listened to (Minister of Educa- tion) John Snobelen last night and he made the statement that they were proceeding with the amend- ments to the education act...based on three principles. One of them was that the local property tax should not be increased. i don't know whether to call that blatant dishonesty or that is his attempt to mislead Ontario or if John Snobe- len is being snowed by the bureau- crats," Carroll said. "Because this is absolutely, categorically, untrue. One of the principles of the cut - hacks involves increasing the local share required by the property tax- payers." In presenting his argument, Car- roll introduced the documentation to prove that the province has in fact increased the demand on the local taxpayers, while making the statement that they are reducing transfer payments to school boards. "(The province) has increased the local share requirement by 11.4 per cent. That isn't a grant system that is reducing the cost of education in any honest and straight -forward wa at all. They are reducing the provincial cost...but this business of foisting additional responsibility onto the taxpayer directly by action in Toronto is unfair, it's convoluted and dishonest" Carroll said he is unsure how to handle that situation as the Huron board is just "a little voice in the wilderness." He added that the Hu- ron MPP Helen Johns does not un- derstand the magnitude of the situa- tion of how the ministry has handled the reductions. The province has introduced what the education director calls a non -equitable transferpayment re- duction scheme. Huron has consis- tently been at the lower end of spending among boards, yet must now comprehend a $3.2 million re- duction. But Carroll says this re- duction simply "foisters" the finan- cial responsibility onto the local taxpayers. In 1993, the province determined the amount of education tax collect- ed towards the $13.77 billion in ed- ucation financing at the provincial level should be $5.36 billion, the local boards determination was $2.51. Although the government has made claims that they have re- S duced transfer payments, in 1995, they determined that $5.91 billion must come from the tax base, while school boards determined $2.26. e What this means, according to Car- roll, is that the government has ac- tually increased the amount the es- timate must come from the local tax base, while the school boards are left with lesroom to manoeu- e vre. C In the Huron County BOE docu- c ment "Getting our slice of the s shrinking pie", the public can see that over a four year period, $5 mil- lion has been pulled out of expendi- tures, yet the government has di- rected a $5 million (34 per cent) increase to the local share through the combination of downloading: per pupil ceiling, the Standard On- tario Mill Rate and the sharing of assessment manipulation between the public and separate school boards. "The province has increased the minimum share of the local proper- ty tax requirement by 34 per cent in the period from 1992 to 1996. Even though our spending has come down from $65.3 million to around the $60 million mark, at the same time their provincial grant require- ment has come down. if we were going to negate the impact of that we would have to have reduced our expenditures by 60 per cent. That's just beyond imagination. You just can't do that sort of thing. You would have to shut down half your schools and have at least 50 kids in each class." The current grant structure in On- tario for education has been in place since 1978. Carroll said tha successive manipulation by a three government parties has mo than reversed the once 6W40 splt for financing the school system: 60 per cent from the province/40 pe cent from the local taxpayers. Carroll said this year alone three different adjustments have bee made that will affect Huron nega Lively for education finance: prop- erty values have been adjuste through the province's market as sessment scheme of combining th once separate elementary and sec ondary assessments - which is no to be confused with the Fair Marke Assessment Plan; a hidden adjust ment, implemented during the New Democrat Party's term of office bu perpetuated by the current Progres- sive Conservative Party; and a 20.7 per cent hit on education taxes in Huron. The adjustments, which Carroll said have been done behind taxpay- ers backs, are also dishonest. This means that Huron taxpayers will pay more because of what the gov- ernment views as an area less af- fected by recession. "It's just a nightmare. This year the government determined that they would continue the same prac- tice because they can reduce the provincial share as long as they in- crease the local requirements. It's not a reduction in spending at all. It saves Ontario money, it doesn't save the taxpayer money and it doesn't take a nickel away from school board spending in terms of provincial initiatives." This move essentially leaves school boards "holding the bag", according to Carroll. School boards must ask themselves how to deal with this challenge. For Huron, the hoard has been dealing with bud- gets since August 1995 - the earli- est they have ever started financial planning for then next; budget year. Other aspects lnelnde'`seven "digit reductions in negatiatibits with un- ions for 1997 and school organiza- tion. Carroll said the board must also look at a potential $2 million reduction again in 1997. "We know that our expenditure reductions based on preliminary figures are going to be two and a half times as much as they are this year," Carroll said. In terms of starting to deal with this financial mess, the funding sys- tem needs to be reformed. Per pupil spending in Ontario ranges from $4,500 to a high of $9,000. Huron's spending is in the bottom end of the range: in 1995 $4,706 per elemen- tary pupil and $6,093 per secondary student. For taxation levels, Huron rates 36 out of 40 boards. Carroll points not to the ministers and MPPs for change, but the sen- ior level bureaucrats who maintain their position regardless of what government is in power. These same bureaucrats have provided ad- vice to all three previous education ministers - even though the govern- ment has gone from Liberal to NDP o Conservative. "It is all the same strategies," he aid. "In terms of the funding system, here has been study after study within the education system, which verybody agrees is broken. There s no question about that." In fact Carroll did his own study in 1993 utlining his viewpoint on funding. "What has happened, in the stud - es conducted by the Liberal gov- rnment in the 1980s, the Fair Tax ommission of the NDP and the urrent funding reform workgroup Ludy conducted by John Snobelen, which actually started before this government began...what happened is that they get divided. They get polarized depending on what their personal interests are. We have, in the education community, divided ourselves into the public boards, the Catholic boards, the urban boards and the rural boards. This group is deadlocked. There is no consensus," he said. "Somebody has to have the guts to pick up the solutions in an objective and non- political way. My recommenda- tions to the deputy minister when I saw that this group would once again be deadlocked was to get some private sector business advice to come in and have a firm look at the funding mess and give non- political business administration recommendations on how to fix the problems." Fairness, according to Carroll will not be realized until the gov- ernment understands the differenti- ation between boards like Huron and Metro Toronto and their access to the wealth. Increasing the taxes in Toronto by one per cent may mean a dollar on the tax bill, the legislation was changed to re- flect a merging of child care/ kindergarten services. The move would have created a new balance between teaching and support staff and Carroll believes further results could see another SI million from the secondary school level. t whereas in Huron, increasing the "Another example, school Iibrar- II taxes by one per cent may mean $6 ics...we pay $65,000 a year people re on the tax bill, simply due to the to do technical classes and sign out t level of the tax Kase. The same is books. That's false. It's a had use true across the province - which of high priced help. We need teach - r generally puts the urban and rural er-librarians, we need educators to boards at odds. help us with knowing what kind of The most controversial reform resource information is going to n move, however, may be that of hav- help classroom teachers. We need - ing the province capture the com- them to teach library skills, re- mercial tax base. Commercially search skills, but we also need cler- d poor sectors of Ontario like Huron ical and technical support to do the - would then be able to compete kind of jobs teachers are presently e equally with school boards collect- - ing commercial tax money from the t more wealthy sectors like down - t town Toronto. The money collected - under this arrangement would be distributed equally across the prov- t ince to all boards on a per pupil ba- sis. "Back in the 1970s the govern- ment thought they were coming up with a grant system that would do that. But the spending patterns have emerged over that 20 year period and some boards have been conser- vative and low taxing. Our board is a conservative, low taxing board. Other boards where they haven't had to suffer the constraints of the small base have been able to in- crease their spending dramatically," the education director said. Has it been to the betterment of those boards with larger tax bases? Not necessarily so, said Carroll. Huron has consistently provided a higher level of quality education doing. Teachers I don't think should be doing that sort of thing. We belly -ache about these extra jobs we have but we will not talk about differentiating that task and getting back to teaching." Is the education minister recep- tive? Carroll believes so; and he be- lieves Snobelen is sincere about re- forming education and allowing boards to explore business relation- ships with the private sector. By doing so, hoards can further realize new avenues of funding. Locally, F.E. Madill Secondary School has developed a partnership with Wescast Industries to operate an alternative classroom. Students considered to he at high risk of dropping out, or adults that want to upgrade their current high school education, such an opportunity means greater success for the board. But on the level of the role of corporate business in the school and seen students continually pro- system, Carroll disputes the argu- duce above average results on pro- ment presented two years ago in the vincial standard testing. Huron „York Region Board of Education. doesn't need more money, but it Pepsi-Cola was granted exclusive does require fair access to the re- distribution rights in the high sources to provide the same extent schools in exchange for financial of programs as other boards. support. At the time, the media was "I think that will fix the system, critical of the blatant commerciali- but it will mean some boards will zation of school cafeterias, but Car - have to lose because they will not I roll refers to this as the new reality be able to spend $9,000 on students in education. while other boards spend less than _ Huron already has exclusive con - S5,000." .. . Bracts in place with various busi- In-addressing the tidtfetibbtts C es4tis, slach, as Canont,,Qopiers. ,. ,ti roll said there are three methods: - hila Canon has the small paper reducing the number of teachers, 'lopicr rights to the schools, in ex - support bodies, consultants, bureau- change they must supply a comput- crats, increase the number of kids er driven, digital photocopier to the in classes; all staff take a salary hit;igital media studies class at South restructure. In the first option, class Huron Secondary School. The sizes would increase from the aver- same kind of arrangement is in age 35-38 to nearer 50. While this place with Zerox for the large paper may not seem to be a problem with copiers. elementary pupils, Carroll ex- But of all those deals, Carroll pressed concern with large classes said the board is about to venture in high school - particularly with into their most blatant commercial the changing face of discipline and advertising campaign with their de - behaviour. The second option of cision to allow corporate advertis- wage reductioi. has been imple ing on their school buses. Similar mented in Alberta under Ralph to what may be seen on public Klein. In Huron, under the Social transportation in the cities, the ad - Contract, Carroll took a voluntary vertising will allow the hoard to five per cent cut. Only three others offset some of their transportation followed suit - all in the education .costs: perhaps to the tune of centre in Clinton. The third option 150,000 annually. is the only logical way to handle And such avenues will become the reductions, according to the ed- even more necessary, the education ucation director. director believes, as the school bud - "That is what companies like get may hit $55 million within the Wescast and Champion Road Ma- next five years. Essentially that will chinery have had to do. Companies mean a 15 to 17 per cent drop in in the private sector have had to re- spending levels, but Carroll is con - organize how they staff. We can do fident Huron can deal with it with - that in a sensible, thoughtful way 10 out harming education if the board Ontario if the government could ex- is allowed to operate the system in ercise some leadership and take the a different manner. Simplicity isn't constraints off the education act, in the •picture regardless of direc- the regulations for operating [ion. schools and the regulations govern- For the local board, the situation ing the qualifications for people who are allowed to work in the schools." In making the statement, Carroll said he is not advocating the elimination of teachers, but finding a realistic approach to de- livering education to students. A common example is that of having Early Childhood Educators in the primary classrooms. One area of concern, both finan- cially and academically that is in desperate need of address is that of the child care, Junior and Senior Kindergarten situation. Carroll be- lieves that the province can no longer afford to operate three dif- ferent levels of primary care. How- ever, in order to improve the cur- rent situation, a government will have to take the initiative to make the change. And that may not come anytime soon. In some regions, daycare is operated out of the same building as Junior Kindergarten. If that school offers alternate -day kin- dergarten, theoretically, the same children could be attending the same facility five days per week: three in kindergarten, two in day- care. In Huron alone, a potential $l million could have been saved if is double jeopardy: having been un- dertaxed and under -spent for al- most 25 years, they now must ac- cept the same level of provincial reduction as those who have not op- erated in such an efficient manner. The bureaucracy is down from sev- en to four; the board carries no debt, despite the fact that the pro- vincial average is closing in on $150 per pupil. "Some government will have to make decisions on how the funding model works and how we are gov- erned. I quite frankly don't care whether the Huron board stays as an entity - I'd like that, but if we're cut in half in the numbers of trus- tees and bureaucracy, we'll make that work; or if we're amalgamated with Perth County, we'll make that work; or if somebody had the bril- liance to put all the school systems together in one pot in some fair and honest fashion that allowed Catho- lics to he Catholic, the rest of us to be what we are and the Christian schools to be what they are, then we'd save a hell of a lot of money. But somebody has to make those decisions." Your Views Letters to the editor Disappointed in views Mel Dear Editor: it was with a great deal of disappointment that I read Paul Carroll's (and Roxanne Brown's) "letter to all Friends of the Huron Public Edu- cation System". While I have no doubt Mr. Carroll has a genuine con- cern for what is best for the Public School system, I am disappointed that he is mis-representing the cause of "the other parties" with whom he is suggesting an amalgamation. When Carroll suggest in his letter that he wishes to establish a "single school board for Huron County, one that provides for all sectors and protects the language and religious rights of all parties," he makes, at worst a dishonest and at best a naive gesture. While I cannot speak for the Huron Perth Separate School system. I can speak for the Clinton and District Christian School in Clinton when I advise Paul Carroll that, under tie present structure, a unified school board will not be an acceptable way to govern a Christian School. The difficulty is that, in Ontario, government funding always comes with obligations. In Ontario, these obligations often take the form of "rules concerning equality of accessibility". While such equality may be the cornerstone of the Public School System, it is not, and cannot be, the same for the Christian School System. A Christian School, such as C.D.C.S., needs to protect its charter (as docs any organizations) by excluding those (families and teachers) who would like to use the school but who cannot agree with the fundamen- tals of its charter. Is there room in Paul Carroll's single school board for a Christian School that for fundamental reasons must maintain the right to discriminate in the areas of hiring and of admissions? The Christian School has always professed to be teaching that the Christian faith is to be lived, not only in personal devotions, but in work and play, that is to say in all ares of life. The result, with God's blessing, is a Christian lifestyle for students. In Paul's Carroll's single school system, will the Christian Schoc retain the right to establish its own "Christian curriculum?" Will the Christian school even be able to retain the name "Christian'?" The Christian School is a minority group organization in Clinton whose members believe that, if they are to protect the integrity of their school, they must retain their right to establish the school's guidelines for hiring, admissions and curriculum. For the past _' t years, often in the face of personal economic hardship, they have believed this con- cept so strongly that they have willingly paid for the maintaining and the running of the Clinton Christian school without any help from the Ontario Government. These Christian pioneers have steadily resisted, and will continue to resist the attempted encroachment of the provin- cial government on their religious freedom. At the same time the Gov- ernment of Ontario and its Ministry of Education have institutionalized an unjust, monolithic system of public education. Despite many prov- inces doing the contrary, the Ontario government refuses to fund any school system but the Catholic and the Public (secular). Paul Carroll's single school board may sound like a good idea to those who presently use the Public School System. It may even sound interesting to those who anticipate some fortn of Government funding for the Christian School. But at what price? My challenge to all of Paul Carroll's 'Friends of the Huron Public School System' is to look beyond their own school system. Be a friend. not only of the Huron Public Education System, but of Huron County, of Ontario and of Canada. Please remember the importance of diversi- ty, of healthy competition, of the message of Christianity for our youth and for our society. Please iise•Pa Carroll's lettef seftd- it tt)'Hele'h` Johns, but write NO! across it. Feel free to cut out and send this letter as well. 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