Expectations high for government's rural education announcement

Though they are concerned that the news for rural schools is coming too late to save the 122 schools slated to close this year, representatives from the parents’ group People for Education expressed optimism about the release of the government’s rural strategy report tomorrow.

“Schools in rural Ontario have suffered under the funding formula for too long,” says People for Education spokesperson, Annie Kidder. “We hope that the new rural education strategy will correct the aspects of the funding formula that unfairly penalize small and rural schools.”

In May 2003, People for Education released a report that outlined many concerns for Ontario’s small, rural schools. Among the findings in the report:

• Under the funding formula over half of Ontario elementary schools lack sufficient students to generate funding for a full-time principal.
  
• Since 1999, school boards have closed ten times more small schools than larger ones.
  
  
• In 2002/03 only 76% of smaller elementary schools had full-time principals, compared to 89% of elementary schools province-wide.
  
  
• There has been a 47% decline in the number of small elementary schools with teacher-librarians, compared to a 26% decline province-wide.
  
  
• Compared to larger schools, 54% fewer small schools have music teachers and 53% fewer schools have physical education teachers.
  

In their Small Schools Report (available at www.peopleforeducation.com ), People for Education recommended a number of changes to the funding formula they hope will be included in tomorrow’s announcement, among them:

• guaranteed staff for small schools in single school communities;
  
  
• increased funding for rural schools beyond the $50 million announced in May’s provincial budget;
  
  
• adjustments to the funding formula to recognize the value of smaller schools;
  
  
• changes to the per pupil benchmarks in the funding formula to reflect the actual size of the majority of Ontario schools; and
  
  
• guarantees of sufficient funding to ensure that no student in Ontario spends more than 1 ½ hours per day on the school bus.

New report from parents’ group shows inequity for urban students

A new report, released today by People for Education, shows that Ontario’s urban school boards receive an average of 7% less per student than boards in the rest of the province.

Two thirds of Ontario’s students and 53% of the province’s schools are located in the Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Ottawa and Windsor. But the parents’ report shows that Ontario’s urban school boards receive an average of $525 less per pupil than boards in the rest of the province. If this discrepancy were applied to each of the students in urban boards it would make a difference of nearly $700 million per year.

The report found that since 1999, a number of adjustments have been made to the special purpose grants that school boards receive in addition to basic per pupil amounts, but few of the adjustments have benefited urban schools. The effect has been most apparent in programs designed to support the many students at risk in urban boards:

• Although 76% of urban elementary schools report having English as a Second Language (ESL) students in 2002/03, only 26% have ESL teachers.
  
  
• The number of urban schools with English as a Second Language Programs has declined by 23% since 1997/98, despite the fact that the number of immigrants in urban Ontario has increased by an average of 13.5% over the same period.
  
  
• There are over 22,000 children in elementary schools waiting for special education services in Ontario cities. The number of urban elementary schools with regular access to psychologists has dropped by 36% in six years.
  
  
• There has been a 123% increase since 1998/99 in the number of urban elementary schools reporting charging fees for community use; over the same period the number of elementary schools reporting the community uses their facilities has dropped by 15%.
  
  
• Nearly three-quarters of English classes in urban secondary schools are over the government mandated average class size – 10% more than the rest of the province.
  
  
• Since 2000/01, there has been a 20% increase in the student/teacher ratio for guidance counsellors in urban secondary schools.
  
  
• Funding for programs for “students at risk” is still well below the amount recommended in 1997 by the government’s Expert Panel.
  

At the press conference, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Chair, Judith Bishop pointed out that Ontario’s urban areas have a higher proportion of children living in low-income families, more children in single parent families, and a substantially higher number of new immigrants.

“At the same time that education resources for high-needs students have been reduced, other social programs that support at-risk children have been hit,” said Bishop. “Hamilton is the second point of settlement after Toronto for refugees and immigrants in Ontario, and it has the second highest degree of child poverty, after Toronto, but we are in danger of losing our capacity to help these children.”

In the report the unique characteristics of Ontario’s cities were enumerated:

• The proportion of the population that are new immigrants is more than five times higher than that of the rest of the province.
  
  
• Ontario’s urban areas have a higher proportion of children living in low-income families than the rest of the province.
  
  
• As compared to non-urban areas, cities have more than double the number of residents who speak neither English nor French as their first language.
  
  
• Schools in Ontario’s large urban centres are, on average, larger than schools in the rest of the province, they are closer together and they serve a much more diverse population of students – linguistically, socio-economically, racially and ethnically.
  

“Now is the time for all levels of government work together to address the gaps in the system that affect children and youth in cities,” said Annie Kidder of People for Education. “And because there is such a wide range of factors that affect students’ performance at school, it is vital that we address not only the issues directly related to education, but also areas like poverty, immigration, housing and recreation. We must act on these issues immediately to enable all of our children to go on to successful lives.”

The full report will be available on the People for Education website at http://www.peopleforeducation.com/.

Parents’ group unveils new strategy for urban schools

People for Education today recommended a new urban strategy for education to help meet the unique needs of urban students.

Two thirds of Ontario’s students and 53% of the province’s schools are located in urban areas. But urban school boards receive an average of 7% less per pupil than boards in the rest of the province.

There is a higher proportion of students at risk in urban school boards than all other areas of the province except the far north. There are five times as many new immigrants, double the number of residents who speak neither English nor French and a higher proportion of children living in low-income families. The classes are larger, the schools are bigger and school boards do not have the funding or the programs they need to make their students successful.

People for Education’s new urban strategy calls for an estimated funding increase of $1.1 billion for urban boards and recommended a number of changes to provincial education policy:

1. Real funding for schools across Ontario has not kept pace with inflation for the last seven years.

Recommendation: Immediately release the $674 million recommended in the Rozanski report to prevent any further increase in the gap between what boards receive and what boards actually spend for salaries. ESTIMATED COST TO IMPLEMENT IN URBAN BOARDS $400 MILLION

2. Over the last ten years, government cuts at all levels and the lack of coordination of services for children and youth have had a cumulative negative impact on children and youth in Ontario’s cities.

Recommendation: Mandate advisory committees for each urban area to coordinate the planning and delivery of services for children and youth. The multi-level committees must meet at least three times per year and include representatives from school boards, federal, provincial and municipal governments.

3. Despite the higher proportion of students at risk in urban areas, staff supporting these students has been cut substantially. Urban boards have cut guidance counsellors, psychologists, social workers and youth workers. Cuts to these staff have resulted in higher student/staff ratios, fewer hours that staff are accessible, and long waits for special education services.

Recommendation: Designate a new Equity in Education Grant to replace the Learning Opportunities Grant and to be used solely for providing programs to mitigate socio-economic factors affecting students. The new Equity in Education Grant should include a built-in accountability process to mandate that school boards report annually on the programs and services funded by the grant and on their effectiveness. Per pupil funding for remedial programs should be delivered in a separate grant. ESTIMATED COST TO IMPLEMENT IN URBAN BOARDS: $120 MILLION

4. The number of urban schools with English as a Second Language Programs continues to decline despite increased immigration to Ontario‘s urban centres. Ontario has a higher proportion of people born outside the country than any other province in Canada. In the Greater Toronto Area, for example, more than 41% of the population speaks a language other than English at home.

Recommendation: The federal and provincial governments must coordinate funding and policy for settlement services so that newcomer parents and children receive all the supports they need to successfully settle in their new communities. The provincial government must adjust the funding formula for English as a Second Language programs to recognize that most children take longer than three years to acquire the language, and they must modify the Secondary School Grade 10 Literacy Test to address the needs of ESL students. ESTIMATED COST TO IMPLEMENT IN URBAN SCHOOLS: $60 MILLION

5. In Ontario’s urban areas, close to three quarters of mandatory English classes in secondary schools and nearly half of all classes elementary schools are above the government mandated class size. In an average urban classroom, 12% of students speak English as their second language, 12% are receiving Special Education assistance and well over a quarter may be living below the poverty line.

Recommendation: Lower the student to teacher funding ratio in the foundation grant and fund a cap on class sizes to ensure no more than 20 students in classes from Kindergarten to Grade 3, no more than 24 students in classes from Grade 4 to Grade 6, and no more than 30 student in classes from Grade 7 to Grade 12. ESTIMATED COST TO IMPLEMENT IN URBAN BOARDS: $300 MILLION

6. Fifty-three per cent of the schools in the province are in urban areas. Nearly half of them are over forty years old, and many are in need of repair.

Recommendation: Implement the recommendation in the Rozanksi report for annual funding to allow boards to begin addressing their deferred maintenance and renovation needs, and increase the operating benchmarks in the funding formula to recognize higher staffing and maintenance costs in urban areas. ESTIMATED COST TO IMPLEMENT IN URBAN BOARDS: $185 MILLION

7. Students who participate in activity programs are more successful at school. They have higher grade point averages, better attendance records, lower dropout rates, and fewer discipline problems.

Recommendation: Amend the funding formula to recognize and fund the community use of schools, physical education teachers in elementary schools and outdoor education programs. And coordinate activity programs for children and youth in urban areas as per recommendation number 2. ESTIMATED COST TO IMPLEMENT IN URBAN BOARDS: $100 MILLION

Changes to grants for students at risk welcome

People for Education welcomes yesterday’s announcement from the Minister of Education that $112 million in new funding will be allotted for students at risk and for English as a Second Language programs in schools.

“This funding is a great start,” said Annie Kidder, spokesperson for the group. “It will help school boards presently struggling to provide support to students who are in urgent need – new immigrants and students whose socio economic status puts them at an educational disadvantage.”

A recent report from People for Education showed that urban areas in particular had a high percentage of students at risk of being unable to achieve academic success. The report itemized the programs and supports that had been cut over the last few years. It made a number of recommendations, including increased funding for students at risk, more transparency in reporting on the programs funded, and greater cooperation among all levels of government and all ministries so that needed programs are maintained or reinstated. Among the concerns:

• Nearly three-quarters of English classes in urban secondary schools are over the government mandated average class size – 10% more than the rest of the province.
  
• Although 76% of urban elementary schools report having English as a Second Language (ESL) students, only 26% have ESL teachers.
  
• The number of urban schools with English as a Second Language Programs has declined by 23% since 1997/98, despite the fact that the number of immigrants in urban Ontario has increased by an average of 13.5% over the same period.
  
• Since 2000/01, there has been a 21% increase in the student/teacher ratio for guidance counsellors in secondary schools.
  
• The number of urban elementary schools with regular access to psychologists has dropped from 72% in 1997/98 to 46% in 2003.
  

Though the parents’ group applauded the improvements, they say school boards around the province will continue to fall behind until the province implements recommendations from the Rozanski report including $674 million to make up for seven years without increases to cover inflation and $375 million to deal with a backlog in maintenance and repairs to school buildings.

Amendment to Fiscal Responsibility Act directs money saved to public schools

People for Education came to Queen’s Park today with an amendment to the government’s new tax bill.

The Fiscal Responsibility Act, which repeals the private school tax credit and the education property tax credit for seniors, will save the province hundreds of millions of dollars over the next few years. The parents’ group proposes that the government amend their Bill to ensure that all the money saved is spent in the public education system.

Annie Kidder, spokesperson for the group made a deputation to the government standing committee presently holding hearings on Bill 2, the new Fiscal Responsibility Act. She proposed the following amendment:

As this tax expenditure will no longer be a burden on government revenue, the Minister of Finance shall calculate the amount saved by this Legislation from the time of proclamation of this Act until December 31 2006, and the Minister of Finance shall spend that amount only for public education purposes and no other purpose.

“Public education is the foundation of a civilized democratic society,” said Ms. Kidder. “It offers all children, regardless of income, race, language, or religion, access to the education they need to become participating citizens.”

“Public education holds within it the capacity to overcome generational cycles of poverty, change the destinies of immigrants and refugees, and create a sense of societal cohesion where few are excluded. It is vital that the Minister of Finance make a commitment to use these savings to shore up our public education system first, before he fights the deficit.”

Few details in moratorium on school closings

In reaction to an announced provincial moratorium on school closings, People for Education raised concerns about the lack of implementation of the funding recommendations in the Rozanski Report.

In May 2003, People for Education recommended in their Small Schools Report that the provincial government “enact a standardized review process for the closing of schools and construction of new schools including mandatory involvement of municipal governments in decision-making, mandatory consultation periods of no shorter than six months, and mandatory reports on the economic and social impact on the affected community.” The group also called for a designation for small schools in single school communities that cannot be closed.

Across Ontario, over 100 schools are under review for closure. Over the last 3 years, 192 schools have closed, nearly all of them small schools. A moratorium on school closings will ensure that no more schools close until a comprehensive policy is in place to take into account:

· the social and economic impact on the community

· whether or not the school is the only school in the community, and

· the effect of new government policies such as changes to class size legislation.

A new policy taking these factors into account would prevent the unnecessary closing of many schools, and would also provide a fair and balanced decision making process to determine how and when a school must be closed.

However, the moratorium on school closing will have a serious impact on schools and programs for students if boards of education are not provided with the over $1 billion still required to fund inflation adjustments and to deal with the repair and renovation backlog in school buildings.