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8 - Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, April 10, 1996 Student Letter To The Education Minister The Honourable John Snobelen Minister of Education and Training 22nd Fl. Mowat Block 900 Bay Street Toronto, ON M7A IL2 Dear Minister Snobelen: The Common Sense Revolution was not supposed to hurt the classroom. Your announcement of Wednesday, March 6, 1996 indicates otherwise. While your retreat from the idea of eliminating teacher prepara- tion time showed wisdom, parents, students and teach- ers are still concerned that the cuts you announced will have a negative impact on the classroom and the quality of education that students receive. Please consider the following points. Preparation Time Parents, students and teachers urge you to continue to recognize the importance of preparation time in any further announcements. The forty minutes of preparation time that teachers get each day is the oil that keeps the educational engine running. Teachers must carry out a wide variety of tasks outside the classroom during "prep time." These include coun- selling, providing extra help and preparing lessons for students with special needs, telephoning parents, planning for numerous committee meetings, managing extra- curricular activities and sports programs. This means that marking and lesson planning are regularly done at home in the evenings and on weekends. Alternative Staffing The decision to refer the question of "differentiated staffing" to "a small working group ... to make recommen- dations by this summer" (without any mention of input from students, parents, and teachers) is regrettable. Parents, students and teach- ers simply cannot accept the contention that alternative staffing for schools will enhance public education. Replacing teachers with tech- nicians will diminish the quality of education that stu- dents receive. The assertion that youth counselors, com- puter technicians, and library technicians would be equally as skilled as teachers, simply ignores the importance of the teaching skills that teachers bring to the job. Removing teachers from library resource centers, guidance offices, and computer departments will have a negative impact on the students. Indeed, as you stat- ed, in a speech to Library Associations on Saturday February 10, 1996, "technol- ogy ... [is] merely a tool; it does not work without a teacher."Teacher-librarians, computer teachers, and guidance teachers are essen- tial to the educational suc- cess of students. School Programmes The staffing cuts that have been announced in Hamilton, Halton and other areas will have a devastating impact on students. Class sizes will increase, specialized pro- grams (such as Latin or Tech.) that attract lower stu- dent numbers will no longer be feasible, and competition for extra help after school will increase dramatically. The classroom, however, is not the only place where learning occurs. The loss of thousands of highly motivated younger teachers will result in a dras- tic reduction of extra-curric- ular programmes, such as field trips and sports. Those teachers who remain will sim- ply not have enough time to meet the demands of teaching and support the many addi- tional activities that enrich BIRDS OF PREY DEMONSTRATION AM education. To hurt the students of Ontario with Guts that will have a very negative impact on the educatipn system is short-sighted. Your govern- ment has overldoked a variety of alternatives iii terns of sav- ings and implelientation. *Ontario spends about 47% of its educatian budget on administration, supplies and other non classroon expenses (Tôronto Star, February 1, 1996). Surely, cuts can b@ made in administratiol that would not impact on the classroom to the degree that the lay-off of thousands of teachers will. *Fundamental changes to the educationlal system should not be made in a top- down manner that ignores the expertise and knowledge of teachers who are on the front-lines, delivering education. Change without consultation is demoralizing; and the goodwill that will be lost, if you proceed without reconsidering the drastic changes being proposed cannot be quantified. *Parents, students, and teachers in Ontario know that a one billion dollar cut to the education system over one year is imprudent. Cutting too deeply and too quickly is not common sense. A more reasonable approach to such a massive cut would be to phase it in over a two or three year GANARASKA REGION CONSERVATION AUTHORITY 1-905-885-8173 period, thereby allowing for such things as staff reductions through retirements. Public education in Ontario deserves consideration, not chaos. With all due respect, Minister Snobelen, your gov- ernment should rethink its approach to changing the education system with the above considerations in mind. Finally, the courtesy of a reply is expected. A sincerely concerned Ontariarian, ANIMALS OF THE FOREST DISPLAY PM BALLS RADIO & T.V. REPAIR REPAIRS TO MOST MAKES STEREOS, COLOUR AND B&W T.V.s AND V.C.R.s P.O. Box 27 R.R. 2, Orono, Ont. (905) 983-5721 UANARASKA PANCAKE EXPERlENCE SATURDVAYAPRIL 13 1-905-983-9558 MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT & BUSH TOURS 6ANARASKA FOESTw CENTRE 10:00 AM TO 2:00 PM BOT PANCAKE BRUNCH WITH SAUSAGE AND SYRUP $4.00 ADULTS 2.00 CHILDREN 3.00 SENIORS SPONSORED BY: - THE GREAT PINE RIDGE KINSMEN - KAITLIN GROUP LTD. a) - QUAKER OATS CO. - M&M MEATS LTD. ____ ____ - GANARASKA LEATHERCRAFT Hwy 401 \jRe IN SUPPORT OF: GANARASKA FOREST CENTRE OUTDOORS EDUCATION PROGRAM AND KINSMEN COMMUNITY PROJECTS.