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36 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, September 5, 1990 Durham East hopefuls discuss education Editor's Note: The following questions were submitted to the five candidates in Durham East riding seeking election Sept. 6. The questions were drawn up by Scugog Board of Education trustee Bobbie Drew. The answers are re-printed as received, with some minor editing. : QUESTIONS 1. In the last election the Liberals promised 60% Provincial funding for the day-to-day costs of running the education system ... but have not achieved their goal and appear to be reducing their level of support. What do you think the provincial share of the financing of education in Ontario should be? When, and how, will your party achieve this? 2. Junior Kindergarten is a mandated programme to be in USED CAR & TRUCK place by 1994. What is your posi- tion on junior kindergarten? What are your reasons? If you are in favour, should the province pay the full cost of implementing this, including the classroom space? 3. According to the recent report of the Premier's Council, a common destreamed cur- riculum in Grades 7-10 should be put in place by the year 2000. Pro- gress toward this common cur- riculum should be the object of constant review and critical evaluation. Do you agree, or disagree? 4.The Durham Board of Educa- tion has almost 10,000 students in 500 portables. What will you do to provide increased funding to help build new schools quickly? 5. The demands for English as a Second Language for children and adults has been increasing 1989 OLDS CIERA ST. WAGON $15,900. 1989 CORSICA V6, auto, air, cass, pw, pl 1989 CHEV CELEBRITY 4 dr, auto, V6, air, AM/FM cass. .. $8,995. 1988 BERETTA G.T. V6, 5 speed, air, AM/FM cassette, pw, pl, electronic dash ssessessaseennirese [} 8 passenger, loaded 1988 OLDS CUSTOM CRUISER SY. Jago esesssssssessennaes [] with tan interior 1988 OLDS 98 REGENCY BROUGHAM loaded, very clean, white eesssessssasseseenarrereae $16,995. 1987 CHEV CELEBRITY EUROSPORT S/W 2.5 litre engine, auto, air, pw, pl, 360 seat, clean, 47000 km $9495. V8, automatic 4 door V6, automatic 1981 AMC EAGLE 4 wheel drive 'AS-IS' SPECIALS 1983 CHEV WORK VAN 1985 CHEV CITATION 1987 DODGE DAKOTA PICKUP L DENNIS Nobody It Better! CHEVROLET OLOSMOBILE LTD. 276003 lw Clltabis 555 3401 268 Queen St., Port Perry significantly over the past few years. How should it be funded? MARILYN PEARCE - LIBERAL 1. The Ontario Government is proud of its commitment to make education a priority for provincial funding. In 1990 the provincial contribution, including contribu- tions to the teacher's pension fund, is 56.9% of approved expen- ditures. The reference to 60% of total expenditures does not take into account that the spending levels of school boards involve both approved expenditures and those expenditures that are not controlled by the province. Therefore, while school boards continue to spend above approv- ed expenditure levels, the ques- tion of provincial funding at the 60% level of provincial contribu- tion is misleading. 2. In the 1989 budget, the Liberal Government announced that $194 million in additional operating grants would be available to en- sure that by 1994, all boards in the province could offer optional half day junior and full day senior kindergarten. The grants will be provided over a five year period. In 1990, the province provided the first payment of $29 million in operating grants for these programs. To help school boards build the classroom space necessary to meet the demands of this in- itiative, the Government also allocated $100 million in capital grants over a five year period. In 1990, the Province provided the first payment of $20 million for this purpose. A further $2 million has been provided this year to assist boards in furnishing and equipping new junior kindergarten classrooms. 3. The Transition Years (grades 7 to 9), are critical in terms of helping students make the transi- tion from basic learning in elementary school to more ad- vanced/specialized studies in secondary school. To facilitate-a smoother transition the Govern- ment will ensure a core cur- riculum in grades 7, 8 and 9 that emphasizes the development of basic skills and progressive pro- blem solving and eliminates streaming in grade 9. The Specialization Years (grades 10 to 12/0AC) are con- sidered important in terms of building on the foundation of ac- quired learning skills. The Government will ensure that the final years of secondary school will allow the development of specializations. The government will also revitalize technological education through the renewal of curriculum and equipment. This is being undertaken in coopera- tion with business, labour and community groups. 4. Capital funding has risen from roughly $72 million in 1984/85 under the Tories to $332 million in 1990/91, or an increase of over $361%. (Commencing in 1988/89, the government announced a 3 year capital plan that would provide $300 million per year for 3 years. . This funding was extended for 1992/93 and 1993/94, bringing the government's commitment to education capital funding to $1.5 billion over a 5 year period. Education Development Charges (Lot Levies) Bill 20, the Development Charges Act received Royal As- sent on November 23, 1989. The passage of this measure gives boards an additional means of financing school capital construc- tion. The education portion of the Bill provides a school board with the authority to impose education development charges on residen- tial and commercial development within its area of jurisdiction, if it is expected that enrolment growth due to this development will cause the board to incur in- creased capital costs. 5. In addition to the regular per- pupil funding that is available to immigrant children on the same basis as all other pupils, the pro- vince provides additional funding for English-as-a-Second- Language programs offered to pupils in day schools. These grants are based on the number of ESL teachers employed by school boards. Province-wide, these grants have increased significantly over the past five years, from $15.3 million in 1985 to more than $46 million in 1989. KIRK KEMP - CONSERVATIVE 1. The New Ontario Progressive Conservative party is on record as favouring provincial funding for local school boards to the ex- tent of 60% of actual operating costs. This level of funding is necessary to relieve the present excessive burden on the property ' taxpayer. Higher funding can be achieved by better fiscal manage- ment, and reductions in wasteful provincial spending. I also wish to note that despite Premier David Peterson's 1987 election cam- paign pledge, provincial funding "has not risen above the low 40% range of school board operating costs; 2. 1 agree that junior kindergarten should be available throughout the province, however, as a provincially man- dated progarm, appropriate pro- vincial funding should be made available. This is consistent with our party's commitment to relieve the educational tax burden on the property taxpayer. I also note that it is an added benefit of junior kindergarten that the cost of the program per capita is less expensive than the, provision of daycare services; 3. I believe that the progress of students in a common "de- streamed" curriculum should be constantly subject to review. I believe that this scheme has the potential to cause frustration for less able students as well as to rob exceptionally gifted students of an appropriate level of challenge; 4. The correct "political" answer to this question would be to attack the use of portables as unacceptable. The financial reali- ty is however that with the in- evitable decline of the 'baby boom's baby boom" that surplus school facilities will become available. I do suggest however, that as a bare minimum, we should ensure that quality por- tables are made available for those students and teachers who are housed in such facilities. We should also consider more creative school housing ar- rangements such as leasing ar- rangements with residential developers etc.; 5. English as a Second Language (E.S.L.) courses should be provided for children by the public school system, however, E.S.L. for adults is perhaps better provided for at the post-secondary level (for exam- ple, in a community college set- ting). The province should supp- ly local school boards with the re- quisite funding for the provision of E.S.L. instruction. The present lack of provincial support is just another example of the present government's habit of passing along responsibilities to local school boards and municipal cor- porations without supplying the necessary resources from the much broader provincial tax base. Finally, in this regard, I note that the federal government, which enjoys jurisdiction over im- migration policy should be called upon to bear an appropriate share of the cost of E.S.L. training. GORD MILLS - NDP 1. On August 19, we released our campaign platform document "An Agenda for People." It com- mits an NDP government to in- creasing the provincial share of education funding to 60% over five years. We estimate the cost of this commitment at $1.5 billion over the next two years. However, increased provincial funding not only will provide a solid base for a better education system, it will provide an equivalent amount of property tax relief for hard- pressed citizens. New Democrats oppose the cur- rent system of funding education through the local property tax. This system does not take into ac- count a person's ability to pay and is particularly unfair for seniors on fixed incomes and low-income families. New Democrats propose a fairer tax system based on abili- ty to pay. We believe the bulk of education funding should come through provincial tax on per- sonal and corporate income. Clearly, corporations benefit from an educated workforce and should contribute to the cost of education. 2. New Democrats support the expansion of kindergarten pro- grams in principle. We are, however, concerned with the way in which the Liberals have tried to grab headlines by announcing progressive education initiatives to the public and then leaving school boards struggling to imple- ment them. Most recently, in the New Democrats' dissenting opinion to the Select Committee on Educa- tion Report on Early Childhood Education in the schools, we criticized the Liberal government for failing to provide adequate funding for Early Childcare Education programs and failing to develop clear guidelines on staffing and programs. Our commitment to increase the operating grants to schools will provide some relief in the fun- ding of junior kindergarten. An NDP government would also work with school boards to develop realistic plans for the im- plementation of junior kindergarten. 3. Some educational goals should be common to all schools. Education must foster physical, moral, intellectual, and emotional development; children must be encouraged to critically analyze social and ecorlomic trends in our society and to develop a sense of social responsibility to participate in the democratic process. To .some extent these goals can be achieved through a common pro- vincial curriculum. New Democrats, however, also believe that the provincial curriculum must be flexible and allow oppor- tunity for locally-developed courses which are relevant to the needs of students. New Democrats strongly op- pose streaming students into basic, general, and advanced courses. As the Radwanski Report stated, streaming segregates children for whom English is not a first language and children from low-income families into basic and general Turn to Page 38