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Concern Over Education Cuts Report from Queen's Park John O'Toole Durham East MPP Education is the main topic of debate at Queen's Park at this time. I remain committed to high standards in education. \ Our election platform also positioned positioned education as a very high priority. As I read the papers, I am concerned with the school board announcements of layoffs layoffs and the dislocation of teachers and other staff. I have personally spoken with many students, teachers, parents and trustees. Most people people arc also concerned with the current board option allowing them to eliminate Junior Kindergarten and the reduced funding for Adult Education programs. . The funding reductions from the province represent, in most cases, approximately 3 to 5% of overall board spending. I admit that every board is currently currently rethinking where they spend our money. I can only say that we must reduce spending spending outside the classroom. Of course, this means some non- teaching positions will be eliminated eliminated causing those teachers to move back into the classroom. As a result, there will be an overall reduction in the number of positions. The. staff reductions announced arc not necessarily permanent, but the boards are required under the Employment Standards Act to forecast any significant reductions reductions well in advance. Education is a very important important service, costing • some $14.5 billion. Education is funded approximately 56% by the province and the balance on your municipal property tax bill. Currently, Ontario spends some $500 more per child on education than any other province. According to the Sweeney Report, Ontario school boards spend some 47% of all expenditures outside the classroom. Sweeney recommends recommends that we reduce these non-classroom expenditures to 40%. This 7% of non-class- room expenditure reductions would amount to some $1 billion. billion. Included in these out-of- classroom areas arc busing, maintenance, custodial and administration. There are several pieces of legislation that will impact education. There arc several important reports and proposed pieces of legislation, before the government government which will impact our restructuring of education in Ontario. These arc: •The Sweeney Report on School Board Amalgamation, which I have discussed briefly in prior articles. The many recommendations recommendations of this NDP commission make sense. The report suggests restructuring administration and reducing the number of school boards from some 168 to 86 boards. This means less administration and duplication. Ask yourself how many $ 100,000-plus non- teaching staff do we need? • The Secondary School Reform is headed up by Pauline Laing, the former Director of Education of the Durham Board of Education. This task force is examining curriculum changes necessary to eliminate MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON PUBLIC NOTICE TO ITS CITIZENS At a meeting held on April 11, 1994, the Council of the Municipality of Clarington passed a resolution which states that once each quarter, one regularly scheduled Council meeting will be held at a suitable location in either Ward 1 or Ward 3. Accordingly, the Council meeting scheduled to be held on Monday, April 15, 1996, at 7:00 p.m., will be held at the Courtice Secondary School. Patti L. Barrie, A.M.C.T. Clerk Municipality of Clarington 40 Temperance Street Bowmanville, Ontario L1C3A6 & MUNICIPALITY OF arinqton ONTARIO Date of Publication: April 10,1996 CS-Ind. 5930 ' 8 < TOP QUALITY SUNROOMS AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE EITHER IN KIT FORM OR COMPLETELY INSTALLED • Relax - because it's absolutely maintenance-free - all framing is made from strong aluminum - all glazing is double strength glass with aluminum framework, • A sound investment that adds value to your home. • Revel in the sunshine without the headaches of damaging, harmful and hot direct sunlight. • Durable baked-on enamel finish provides excellent impact, corrosion and mar resistance. ' installed usually in just a couple of days - your landscaping remains intact because no heavy equipment is used. • Available as a screened room or as a glazed three season room - you can choose a VISTA screened room now and upgrade simply and easily to windows when your budget permits. 1 Choose a PanelCraft or Northlander roof system to suit your needs. WE ALSO DO TRADITIONAL RENOVATIONS and ADDITIONS FROM DECKS TO ATTICS Larsson SUNROOMS 101 Guelph Street, Qshawa (905) 579-4086 OJ.P. grade 13/OAC. Ontario is the only province with five years of high school. May own opinion, after being involved in some of the discussions on education reform, is that we must be competitive competitive with other provinces and indeed the world. I would like to sec changes to the current current dc-slrcaming in grade 9. We cannot afford to eliminate the OAC year and continue with de-streaming in grade 9. • Education finance reform is also on the minister's agenda. agenda. The current funding mix has been the subject of many reports. The Royal Commission on Learning has suggested that the province completely fund education equitably across Ontario. • Bill 30 establishes the Education Quality and Accountability Office and amends the Education Act with respect to the assessment of academic achievement. This legislation is intended to fairly and effectively measure student as well as system performance to a common set of provincial standards. • Bill 31, is an act to establish establish the Ontario College of Teachers. A College of Teachers has been studied for the past 30 years from the 1967 Hall Dennis report to the most recent Royal Commission on Learning. The College will be a self regulating body which sets standards for the profession, deals with discipline and complaints, complaints, as well as accreditation and other matters. • Bill 34, is an Act to amend the Education Act. There arc provisions within this Act to allow boards of education to not offer junior kindergarten and to offer adult continuing education in a different format. The Act also encourages boards to enter into cooperative agreements agreements with other school boards, municipalities, hospitals, universities, universities, colleges and other organizations to reduce cost and improve service. This week, I will be meeting with the school boards to discuss discuss the current issues in education education and listen to their concerns. concerns. I must remind you, that each of these three pieces of legislation will go to committees committees for public input before they arc proclaimed into law. I have scheduled a meeting for April 15th at my constituency office. "We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what no one knows yet." -- Margaret Mead. The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Wednesday, April 10,1996 5 Tighter Control Needed m Alex Shepherd Durham MP Museum Celebrates 35 Years Bowmanville Museum Board Chair Larry Paradis, Clarington Mayor Diane Hamrc, and Museum Curator Charles Taws got together recently for a presentation of a plaque from the municipality to the museum. The plaque recognizes the museum's 35th anniversary which was celebrated at an Open House on March 30. KM Laura J. Richards Statesman Staff Rubber Duck Derby Birds of a feather, RACE together! A flock of ducks will be landing in Bowmanville and won't be leaving until Saturday afternoon, June 15...after the Clarington Duck Derby takes place at the Bowmanville Creek. The members of the 7th Bowmanville Scouting Parent Support Group have been planning planning the first Clarington Rubber Duck Derby for more than a year. Money from the event will assist the 7th Bowmanville Scouting Group, the Learn Not To Bum program of the Clarington Fire Department and Memorial Hospital Bowmanville. The derby organizers have been wading through the paperwork, paperwork, and making many discussions. discussions. They are trying to duck any problems that could arise. So far, they've been successful. successful. You won't find them running running around like chickens...er... ducks with their heads cut off. In fact, the organizers have been astounded by the number of people who have helped. Hats off, of course, to the sponsor -- Dcighton and Associates of Bowmanville, and the Municipality of Clarington administration, including Mayor Diane Hamrc and Council! Also included in the thank-yous, so far, arc the Bowmanville BIA members and all the Clarington merchants merchants who arc displaying our posters and flogging tickets. Lots of people from all over Clarington and beyond arc involved in making this a top- notch event. In fact, if all goes according to plans, the event will be stuffed full of activities and entertainment for the entire family. Not even the weather will put a stop to the dumping of 5,000 ducks off the Hwy 2 bridge into the Bowmanville Creek! We will be prepared -- with umbrellas! Hope you all bring your duck boots, if the occasion requires them. To page 7 Remember when Canadian soldiers risked their lives in the "Desert Storm" to stop .the tyranny of Iraq's Saddam Hussein? Well, now I find out the Canadian International Development Agency (C1DA), for the most recent fiscal period, spent $7.7 million in aid to this same country. Then there is the Turks and Caicos Islands. This is a part of the world where Canadians hide their money from Revenue Canada. Yet, we provide them with aid. Turks and Caicos docs not impose an income tax on their citizens. But Canadians pay for a portion of their government services. It's the same thing in Grenada. The last time I was there, many residents were driving driving new automobiles and living living quite comfortably. They don't pay income tax, but Canadians arc dinged to the tune of $2.3 million annually to send to Grenada. Many of these Canadians will never be able to afford a trip there. It appeals Canadians are overly generous. Here arc some other strange beneficiaries of Canadians' tax dollars: Argentina-$5.1 million; Brazil, a country quickly outpacing outpacing Canada in terms of Gross Domestic Product, 518.5 million. Then there is Mexico - where we sent a lot of our labour requirements in the automotive sector. They received $10.6 million. And I thought they were a NAFTA partner, not a Third- World basket case. I sat and listened to Craig Kcilburgcr one day. He's the 13-ycar-old who is focusing Canadians' attention on the issue of child labour. It occurred to me to ask if we, as Canadians, arc so committed committed to human rights, why do we continue to provide aid-to countries that allow child labour? Canadians provide $57.1 million in aid to Pakistan, which turns a blind eye to shackling children to jobs. Canada spends over 60 per cent more - as percentage of GDP - than Britain and the United States on foreign aid and 30 per cent more than Australia. It appears Canadians arc not only overly generous, but also not particularly caring about who gets aid. China is quickly overtaking us economically, but we still send them over $162 million annually. Last week I was contacted for assistance by a company starting up in Durham whose partner is a provincial government government in China. Isn't it odd that we can finance foreign countries countries who can, in turn, invest in Canada? I would have thought the money is better off in the hands of Canadians so they could invest in their own country. Even Egypt, which I would consider one of the more stable and wealthier countries, can manage to get $29.6 million out of the Canadian taxpayer. In total, Canadians give approximately $3 billion to 156 countries and regions. Giving to those who arc less well off is one thing. But . spending taxpayers' money all over the world, without a thought to the realities of the countries we arc giving it to, is foolhardy. A lot of foreign aid has been curtailed, but I believe there arc many more recipients who can be struck from the list. I will be pursuing this at the United Nations next week and in Ottawa in the weeks ahead. 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