With representatives from the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, and Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association asking questions, the four candidates vying for the Kenora-Rainy River riding had a lot to say about education issues at Tuesday night’s forum.
In response to Progressive Conservative leader John Tory’s controversial plan to publicly fund Ontario’s faith-based private schools, Caren Fagerdahl of the ETFO asked the candidates for their view on the topic.
“How can we justify providing funding for one faith-based system and not another when all requirements are equal?” replied PC candidate Penny Lucas, adding the only difference between the Catholic and public system is the faith-based part of it.
After all, the Catholic system follows Ontario curriculum, and still uses accredited teachers and provincial testing.
“If there’s another faith-based school system out there that would deliver the same programming, I can’t see how could fund one and not the other?” Lucas said.
Liberal candidate Mike Wood said the McGuinty government is dedicated to funding all public education, including the Catholic French and English.
But the $500 million that John Tory would dedicate to faith-based schools would mean $5 million taken from every riding—translating to 7,000 fewer teachers, 4,000 fewer principals, and $100,000 less for every single school, he added.
“We’ve come a long way in three years. Our test scores are up, our class sizes are down. We can’t afford to go backwards right now,” Wood stressed.
NDP leader and incumbent MPP Howard Hampton noted if people want to take their children to private schools, that’s fine—but that should be a private decision paid for with private funds, not public money.
Green Party candidate JoJo Holiday said her party stands by a single public-funded education system. This would save $500 million that could be put towards student transportation, as well as counsellors and nurses for schools.
She added world religion always could be added to the curriculum.
“It’s something we need to learn. It’s about other people’s beliefs and faith systems, and that’s important,” she remarked, adding Ojibway also should be taught in regional schools.
Fagerdahl also asked the candidates how they would address the current funding deficits in education.
Lucas said the PC plan for public education includes increased annual funding over the next four years and a review of the funding formula, with annual reviews to ensure schools have the funds they need to address local needs.
It also includes raising standards in education to provide parents with an honest assessment of how their children are doing, and to provide teachers and parents with greater say in decision-making.
Hampton said that as far as funding goes, the McGuinty government hasn’t kept its promises.
“We have 40,000 kids waiting for special education. We have more schools closing across Northern Ontario and rural Ontario all the time,” he charged.
Hampton noted the NDP would bring back the local priorities grant, which is about $200 per student, that allows local boards to make priority decisions based on its particular circumstances, whether that’s transportation, special education, or whatever.
“We also have to recognize that ‘at-risk’ children don’t receive the attention they need. We would put in about $125 per child in ‘at-risk’ funding,” said Hampton.
Holiday said the Green Party would immediately address the $700 difference per student in the elementary system and bring it up to the level of the secondary student.
That would bring in more counsellors, nurses, and people that would be able to help the students “falling between the cracks.”
Jeff Rajala, with the OSSTF, informed candidates the number of education assistants has decreased while the need for their services has increased over the years.
Insufficient support for students is a symptom of a much larger problem, which is a lack of active funding in areas such as education, day care, and mental health care, and Rajala asked candidates what they would do about it.
In addition to fixing the aforementioned funding formula, and getting back the local priority and “at-risk” grants, Hampton said there’s “ a pressing need for mental health services for children,” as well as “increasing problems with alcohol and drug addiction.”
He said the emphasis should be on prevention, and the tobacco tax should be raised to the level of British Columbia—bringing in an estimated $500 million a year to be dedicated to mental health and addiction services.
Holiday, for her part, said the Green Party advocates smaller school boards to better determine the needs of students and assign staff to better those needs.
“The Conservatives are about building the kind of caring and compassionate society that we all want to see,” said Lucas. “All of us should have a goal of a public education system that ensures each child get the support they need to realize their full potential.”
Wood said the province’s education system has changed drastically in the past four years since the McGuinty government came to power.
In Rainy River District, funding has gone up 21 percent, special education spending has risen by 47 percent, and transportation funding has gone up 38 percent while school operational funding has increased 30 percent.
“That’s significant investment,” he noted, adding the Liberals still are working at fixing the funding formula.
Speaking more generally, Dan Maltais, president of the local Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, asked the candidates what they see as education issues for the north and possible solutions to those problems.
Lucas said that in addition to increased annual funding, and more input from teachers and parents in decision-making, the John Tory government is dedicated to providing high-speed Internet access for remote areas so all northerners can upgrade their skills and education and do business with the rest of the world.
She added having access to higher education is not always easy for northerners, and that the PC government will invest in more post-secondary education and training, and create a northern research fund for universities and colleges.
Wood noted the Northwest Catholic District School Board is facing the same issues as the public board, including declining enrolment and the resulting impact on funds available.
He added that a remote and rural grant has to be advocated for northern school boards, as well as more special education funding. “But again, we need a strong voice inside government to advocate for it rather than outside,” he stressed.
“You can tell people that somehow things are better, but I got to tell you when I talk to teachers, what they’re saying to me is ‘I’m working longer, I’m working harder, we have a more difficult task and increasingly we don’t have the education assistants we need to do the job,’” charged Hampton.
“We need to fix the funding formula, and stop holding photos ops and more photo ops.”
Hampton argued the McGuinty government has left some special needs students out in the cold.
“Four years ago, Dalton McGuinty wrote to the parents of autistic children, saying we’re going to ensure your children receive the funding they need for intensive behavioural intervention and we’re going to ensure that those therapists are allowed to go in the schools,” he recalled.
“There were about 80 kids on the waiting list for IBI treatment then. Today, there are over 1,200 kids on the waiting list.
“In fact, the McGuinty government, after making that promise spent, $2.4 million fighting those parents in court,” Hampton added. “After the parents won the court battle, the McGuinty government announced funding and re-announced it and re-announced it, and then quietly, when no one was looking, slipped $59 million of the funding out of the envelope.
“That’s why we continue to have those problems.”
Wood asked Hampton where was autism funding mentioned in the 2003 NDP platform, at which the NDP leader exploded.
“My wife happens to be the foremost advocate for children with autism in the province. If you’re going to say that, mister, you’re going to have trouble,” he fumed.
“My wife has gone to court with Dalton McGuinty over this issue. My wife disclosed the fact that McGuinty promised and failed to do it,” Hampton said.
Fort Frances Times
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