Share on socials
(Queen’s Park): GPO leader Mike Schreiner is calling on the Liberal government to commit to an independent public review of Ontario’s status quo school board structure in Thursday’s budget.
“Once again our children are facing disruptions in their schools and cuts to their classrooms,” says Schreiner. “We’ve experienced an education crisis in successive NDP, PC and Liberal governments. Yet none of three status quo parties are willing to look at ways to reduce waste by merging our public and Catholic school boards.”
Independent studies by the Federation of Urban Neighbourhoods of Ontario and the Fraser Institute show how merging the public and Catholic school boards could save between $1 and $1.6 billion in duplication of administration, busing and buildings. The Green Party supports re-investing those savings in your children’s classrooms to strengthen public education.
“Instead of cuts to the classroom, Greens want to invest more in our children’s education to improve our schools,” says GPO education critic Matt Richter. “It’s time to put our kids first.”
In addition to addressing financial waste in our school system, merging the school boards into a public system with French and English boards will address persistent human rights concerns in Ontario’s school system. The United Nations Human Rights Council has cited Canada twice for human rights violations due to the discriminatory school system in Ontario.
“If you believe in fairness and human rights, then merging our school boards make sense,” says Schreiner. “I want our kids to attend well-funded schools that are inclusive regardless of one’s religious beliefs.”