Brian, I agree that fundamental reform is needed, and also agree that the money being put back into the public system is not enough. However, under the present government you're not going to get reform that is in any sense fundamental and you're not going to get much more money, so you take what you can get and keep working. My wife is on the local high school council. What she's heard from the local activists is that while they're not happy, they at least feel somewhat vindicated. It may be smoke and mirrors, but I would prefer to see it as half a loaf (or less).
Ed Ed Weick 577 Melbourne Ave. Ottawa, ON, K2A 1W7 Canada Phone (613) 728 4630 Fax (613) 728 9382 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian McAndrews" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Ed Weick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2002 11:04 AM Subject: Re: Crumble and despair in our education policy > Hi Ed, > Here is a very different perspective which I support. I see the > Rozanski report as 'smoke and mirrors'. > > Take care, > Brian McAndrews > ---------------------------- > Rozanski validates Tories > > IAN URQUHART > > For anyone looking for fundamental reform in the way our schools are > funded, the report of the > Mordechai Rozanski task force is a huge disappointment. > > Most will focus on Rozanski's recommendation that the government > pour another $1.8 billion into > schools. > > That sounds like a lot, but it is to be spread over three years, or > $600 million a year. Given an over-all > education budget of $14.2 billion, that's an annual increase of just > 3.5 per cent. > > And the government may not even have to spend that much. It could > put the savings from the elimination of Grade 13 - estimated by the > Ministry > of Education to be $100 million - toward meeting Rozanski's target > figure, for a net increase of just $500 million a year. > > That, perhaps not coincidentally, is the figure contained in a > recently leaked memo from Finance Minister Janet Ecker's office. > > "The Premier (Ernie Eves) was musing about maintaining the annual > increase in education funding of $500 million for the next three > years," it said. > > So Rozanski has essentially recommended that the government spend > what it was already planning to spend on education. > > And he has also validated the province's "student-focused funding formula." > > That's the complex mechanism with which the government has > controlled every dollar spent on education in Ontario since it took > the responsibility > away from school boards five years ago. > > Rather than recommend that the funding formula be blown up, Rozanski > calls for some fine tuning. > > His report repeatedly mentions the need for "flexibility" in the > funding of education because the needs and demands differ so greatly > from board to > board across the province. The provincial government "cannot be, and > should not try to be, a micromanager," he says. > > But Rozanski then proceeds to ... micromanage. > > He recommends enhancing "the demographic component of the learning > opportunities grant" to help urban boards with disadvantaged kids in > their > schools; funnelling more money to ex-urban boards through "the > geographic circumstances grant" to keep small schools open in > single-school > communities; creating a new "deferred maintenance amortization fund" > to allow cash-strapped boards to build new schools; and so on. > > Dismissed, in one sentence, is the idea of giving school boards back > the power to levy their own taxes - say, up to 10 per cent of their > budgets, as > recommended by previous task forces. That would ensure the boards > have the necessary money to deal with local priorities rather than > having to look > to the provincial government for a grant to cover every need. > > "I oppose such a restoration ... on the grounds of equity," Rozanski says. > > So, the provincial government will remain solely responsible for > raising money for education and will continue to dole it out with > strings attached. > > It will, in other words, keep on micromanaging the system from the > Mowat Block at Queen's Park (home of the Ministry of Education). > > Rozanski's report disappoints in other ways. For example, he avoids > the sticky issue of how teachers' salaries are determined. Currently, > individual > boards are responsible for collective bargaining with the teachers' > unions, but the province decides how much money is available for pay > increases. > > It is an absurd division of responsibility, and some had hoped > (feared?) Rozanski would recommend a move toward province-wide > bargaining. He > does not. > > Nor does he tackle the problem of excessively large school boards - > one in northwestern Ontario is the size of France - that make local > decision > making difficult, if not impossible. > > Instead, he recommends that the "minister of education review ... > the education governance structure." > > It is, in brief, a safely bureaucratic report. > > That is not surprising, because Rozanski, president of the > University of Guelph, was heavily dependent on the Mowat Block > bureaucracy for his > research and information. He commissioned no independent research. > > No wonder, then, that the government embraced his report. > > "I am pleased that Dr. Rozanski has confirmed that our > student-focused funding formula is an effective way to foster > excellence and bring fairness for > all students," Eves said yesterday. > > Rozanski has given Eves and the Tories what they wanted: He has > bought them time on the education file to get them through the next > provincial > election, expected in 2003. > > Fundamental reform will, apparently, have to wait until after that election. > > For in the long run, the status quo - a centralized education system > run entirely out of Queen's Park - is untenable. The same problems > that > prompted the government to appoint Rozanski -deficits, inadequate > funding of different sectors, school closings and so on - will raise > their ugly > heads again in a few years' time. > > Additional articles by Ian Urquhart > > > > > > FAQs| Site Map| Privacy Policy| Contact Us| > Subscribe| My Subscription > > > Home| GTA| Business| Waymoresports| A&E| Life > > > Legal Notice:- Copyright 1996-2002. Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. > All rights reserved. Distribution, transmission or > republication of any material from www.thestar.com is strictly > prohibited without the prior written permission of Toronto Star > Newspapers Limited. For information please contact us using our webmaster form. > > > > >Even the right leaning Globe and Mail appears to believe that one way to fix > >a vital but crumbling public service is to put some money into it. From > >today's editorial page: > > > >"Rozanski's prescription > > > >Thursday, December 12, 2002 - Page A24 > > > >Mordechai Rozanski has just done for education in Ontario what the one-man > >royal commission did last month for Canadian health care. Reporting to the > >provincial government, he argued that a lot more tax money be spent: roughly > >$2-billion a year, on a $14-billion system, by 2005-06. But not without > >strings; in particular, he wants the system to account more transparently > >for its spending. > > > >He makes a good case that a high-quality education system requires a high > >level of public investment. "Britain and other jurisdictions came to this > >realization," he says. A footnote points to an essay asserting that former > >British prime minister Margaret Thatcher challenged the schools in the 1980s > >to improve by instituting new tests and standards, but did not provide > >support for teacher training or address inner-city needs. The result? > >Conflict and demoralization. > > > >Much the same happened in Mike Harris's Ontario. A rigorous new curriculum, > >new provincewide tests, publication of results, more equitable funding of > >school boards -- all are sound policies. But much went awry in > >implementation. The funding remained stuck at 1998 levels; Dr. Rozanski > >would add $1.08-billion just to keep up with student growth and inflation. > >Expected savings from amalgamating small boards did not help rich boards > >whose funds were siphoned off for poor boards. Teacher training suffered. So > >did special-education pupils. > > > >The result has been a series of strange goings-on, in which school-board > >trustees in Toronto and Ottawa broke the law by passing deficit budgets, and > >the province (now Ernie Eves's Ontario) appointed a supervisor to take over > >and cut costs. All this while Dr. Rozanski was hard at work, about to > >recommend that the money be put back and more added. > > > >Dr. Rozanski, who was presumably not chosen by the Tories for being a > >wild-eyed radical, embodies the virtues of Canada's public schools. The > >child of immigrants, he became the president of Ontario's University of > >Guelph. Public schools gave him, in his words, "the promise of a future." > > > >That promise does not come cheaply. In education, unlike medicine, Canadians > >have a choice: They can opt for the private alternative. And they have done > >so. Between 1995 and 1999, private-school enrolment grew by 40,000 in > >Ontario, rising to 103,000. The public system, with an enrolment of 2.1 > >million, must be protected; it remains the key to social progress and > >mobility. > > > >Wisely, Dr. Rozanski insists that school boards, principals, teachers and > >other staff be accountable for using their resources effectively, a point > >never fully embraced by trustees. For instance, more flexible and beefed-up > >grants for local priorities and for inner-city children should receive > >greater public discussion and there should be follow-up reports on what has > >been achieved. > > > >And he has found a way out of a shameful box on special education. Absurdly, > >auditor Al Rosen criticized the Ottawa school board for offering separate > >classes for special-education students, a criticism made not on pedagogical > >grounds but because the board could not afford to bus them to those classes. > >Yesterday, the province said its first action would be additional financing > >for special-ed, including transportation. > > > >Ontario needs to be fiscally responsible, but it has promised parents better > >schools. It is appropriate to begin the rebuilding with those most in need." > > > >Ed Weick > >577 Melbourne Ave. > >Ottawa, ON, K2A 1W7 > >Canada > >Phone (613) 728 4630 > >Fax (613) 728 9382 > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: "Keith Hudson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2002 3:14 AM > >Subject: Crumble and despair in our education policy > > > > > >> Charles Clarke, the present Minister for Education, is seriously proposing > >> that head-teachers should have the power to fine parents whose children > >are > >> skipping school. > >> > >> The proposal has only just been released this morning. It will, of course, > >> die a death almost immediately because it's more than a step towards the > >> sort of totalitarianism of Communist USSR or Nazi Germany but, > >> nevertheless, it's yet another indication of the depth of despair that > >> politicians in the present Labour government have about the fast-crumbling > >> state education system in England. > >> > >> Keith Hudson > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - > >-- > >> ------------ > >> > >> Keith Hudson, General Editor, Handlo Music, http://www.handlo.com > >> 6 Upper Camden Place, Bath BA1 5HX, England > >> Tel: +44 1225 312622; Fax: +44 1225 447727; mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> ________________________________________________________________________ > >
