Kathleen Wynne, Parliamentary Assistant to Gerard Kennedy, Minister of Education addressed a gathering of Ontario Council CFUW members in the Toronto Clubhouse. Ms. Wynne reported she notices an improved tone in schools since the election of a new government, sensing that educators feel the government is at least listening to their concerns.

Ms. Wynne identified the need to establish a period of peace and stability in education to allow the system to get back on track. She told the group that teachers are resilient, but an alarming number of young teachers in the first five years of their career find their job much harder than they expected. Younger, less experienced school administrators are overwhelmed with the demands of the changing role of principal, and less likely to have time to spend mentoring staff. Provincially mandated professional development (PLP) discontinued by the new government, should soon be replaced by a new program designed to mentor and support teachers.

Ms. Wynne told the group the Liberal Government is working hard to establish a "different way of doing business". Gone is the "fortress mentality" in which a maze of offices led to one closed door after another. The Liberal government intends to reach out and get feedback from constituents. The Education Ministry increased budgets for:

• Smaller class size in the primary grades, taking the strain off teachers facing challenges of increased numbers of special needs students integrated into regular classrooms.
• Literacy programs.
• Facilities repair.

There is concern that the government has not yet dealt with changing the funding formula, but by the end of its 4-year mandate, the formula will look different. Watch for incremental change and revisions to facilities and closures, as well as transportation.

Other New Era Funding Initiatives

• Clarifying taxing responsibilities between municipalities and the Province.
• Community use of Schools will become more accessible in future.
• Literacy support for all children by the age of 12, especially boys
• Teacher Librarians restored to schools
• Safe Schools Programs established
• Special Education Program revamped to link programming to funding
• Learning to 18 and links to post secondary experience
• Parent Voice in education – Revamp of Parent Councils
• Systematic Adult Education – Encouragement of Lifelong Learning
• Bilateral agreements with federal government for labour market development – adult education/ESL on same track - Childcare agreement - Immigration agreement
• Restoration of Support for the Arts

This impressive list closed Ms. Wynne’s comments, after which she entertained questions before turning the podium over to Annie Kidder, President of People for Education.

Annie Kidder spoke of the relationship between Real Children, Money, and High School, relating personal observations as a mother of a teenage daughter with identified challenges in education, and a second daughter on her way to dance lessons following the address.

People for Education recently introduced a parent inclusion project aimed at lowering barriers to participation at schools, and a TIP sheet for parent/teacher interviews. The group believes parental involvement makes a difference in student success rates. Ideally, every child should have an education that meets their individual needs. "Childhood is too short to screw up," said Ms Kidder, who told the group "Education has the potential to transform lives."

People for Education conducts a tracking project to assess the status of the Arts, Libraries, ESL, Special Education, and Fundraising. This year’s results point to problems with parents paying privately for special education assessments to avoid long waiting lists. It also identifies parents as the "food banks of the education system," by augmenting education with as much as $39 million in fundraising. The education system must examine savings over time to assess cost vs. benefits. "With graduation rates declining, Secondary Schools are in crisis. The current system generates winners and losers. More students go to university, but the rest is a mess," she said. The system needs to recognize differences.

Money spent equals money saved, according to Kidder, who closed by telling the audience the sense of openness and renewal in the government is a positive step toward improvement. The time is right to re-invest in education.

Submitted by Catherine A. Cocchio
Vice President - CFUW Windsor

About Our Speakers

Kathleen Wynne, M.P.P. holds an M.A. in Linguistics from the University of Toronto and an M. Ed in Adult Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She is presently Member of Parliament for Don Valley West and Parliamentary Assistant to Gerard Kennedy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. While she serves on several government committees, her main focus is the field of education. She believes in community consultation as an intrinsic part of government decision-making on the issues that affect people's lives.

Ms Wynne has been a Public School Trustee on the Toronto District School Board and was one of the founders of Citizens for Local Democracy, which formed in 1996 to fight the forced amalgamation of Toronto. As well, she was the founder of the Metro Parent Network (now the Toronto Parent Network), a citywide group that fought for better public education.

Ms Wynne is the mother of three young adults who are presently attending university.

Annie Kidder is the mother of two children, one in grade 7 and one in grade 12. A former theatre director, she initially became involved in education through the Home and School Association at her children's school.

In February 1996 she helped found People for Education - parents from the public and Catholic and French school systems working together to preserve publicly funded education. The group is dedicated to the ideal of a fully publicly-funded education system that guarantees every child access to the education that meets his or her needs. People for Education works towards this ideal by doing research, by providing clear, accessible information to the public, and by engaging people to become actively involved in education issues in their own community.

People for Education publishes a bi-monthly newsletter and regular information bulletins on policy and legislation changes. The group maintains a phone line and a website and holds annual provincial conferences for parents and trustees. For the last seven years this group has been tracking the effects of changes to the education system through their Tracking Publicly Funded Education project.

Since 1999, Ms. Kidder has worked full time for People for Education, speaking to parent and education groups around Southern Ontario and on numerous provincial and national radio and television programs