ETFO endorses One School System model.

Here's the link to the  CTV piece from last night. ETFO is now onside (along with OSSTF) for One School System. Ignore Paul Bliss' comments about school funding, he is incorrect and promoting a falsehood. Everyone pays for our public and Catholic school systems. The 'support' option on your MPAC form does NOT direct funding.

http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=276343&binId=1.815892&playlistPageNum=1 

Open letter to CTV News RE: Misinformation on Catholic School Funding.

Mr. Paul Rogers

Sr. Vice President, CTV News Toronto

CC: Mr. Paul Bliss

Queens Park Reporter,

CTV News Toronto

CC: Honest Reporting Canada

Dear Mr. Rogers,

While watching the CTV Toronto news this evening, January 16, 2014,  I was pleased to see Paul Bliss' story on the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario new policy in support of One School System in Ontario.

This is an issue that is very important to me as someone who believes strongly in improving our school system and making it the best in the world while saving Ontario taxpayers an estimated 1-2 BILLION dollars every year.

I was however, extremely disappointed to see that yet again, the Green Party of Ontario was not mentioned, even though the GPO is the only major political party in the province with a policy that is almost identical to the new policy of ETFO.  

Mr. Bliss feels that because no Green has yet to be elected to Queen's Park that the policy of this major party is irrelevant. I disagree, and so do thousands of your viewers and Green Party supporters, but that is not why I am writing.

The misleading statement;

"...only twenty-three per cent of people actually fill out the form and choose to send their education taxes to the Catholic school system" made by Mr. Bliss is a disservice to the taxpaying citizens of Ontario.

When you tick the box on your MPAC form to indicate which school system you 'support' you are indicating only which school system trustees you will vote for.  

The MPAC "support" selection is a tool used by the status quo to continue to mislead the public into thinking that only those who choose to, will fund the Catholic schools. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. 

The proof of this was reported in the Ottawa Citizen in an advertisement place by a Catholic school board;

"“When you designate yourself as a separate school supporter, there is no longer a financial benefit to our Board. Rather, your designation guarantees a strong political voice through your elected representatives (Trustees) in ensuring your rights to Catholic education for the young people in our province.”"

To find out more, I invite you to read this illuminating piece from Humanist Perspectives.

http://www.humanistperspectives.org/issue173/young.html

I look forward to Mr. Bliss' correction on a future show.

Best regards,

Mark Daye

Candidate - Toronto Centre - Green Party of Ontario
Shadow Cabinet Critic - Min. of Community & Social Services

Toronto Region Male Rep. - Provincial Executive, GPO

SIGN OUR PETITION - One Ontario. One School System.

Follow SMARTER SCHOOLS on twitter @OneONOneSchool

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Twitter:   @thedaye
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Greens: We can balance the budget and improve education in Ontario

Toronto, Ontario - Green Party of Ontario (GPO) Leader Mike Schreiner is disappointed with the McGuinty government’s decision on Thursday to slam the door on conversations with teachers.

“The GPO believes Ontario must balance our province’s budget,” says Schreiner. “The most progressive business leaders know that front line workers are in the best position to identify better, more efficient ways of doing things. The McGuinty government’s failure to work with teachers to identify savings is irresponsible.”

The Green Party of Ontario wants tax dollars spent on important public services, not interest payments on debt. The GPO is calling on the government to work with teachers to identify the most effective and efficient way to achieve cost savings.

“Picking a fight with teachers and refusing to talk about ending the wasteful duplication in funding separate schools is not putting our kid’s education first,” says Schreiner.

At the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) general meeting in Toronto members voted in favour of a motion that would see public funding of public education in Ontario limited to the public system. Only the GPO is calling for a public commission to determine the best way of merging the separate and public education systems into a single French and English school board. Studies suggest that this could save $1.3 to $1.6 billion in duplicate administration and operating expenses.

“The Liberals are making a big mistake slamming the door on an opportunity to balance the budget while improving the quality and fairness of our schools,” says Schreiner. “The old line parties have done nothing but present voters more of the same. Voters in by-elections in Vaughan and Kitchener-Waterloo can send a message to Queen’s Park: Ontarians expect modern solutions to modern problems.”

End duplication before cutting our children’s education

Kitchener-Waterloo – Green Party of Ontario candidate Dr. Stacey Danckert was joined by Leader Mike Schreiner in Kitchener to outline the Green Party’s plan to strengthen Ontario’s school system by ending wasteful duplication in the public and Catholic boards.

“With the issue of school cuts dominating these by-elections, the choice for voters is clear,” says Schreiner. “Prioritize high-quality education for all children or protect the interests that want special funding for one religion at the exclusion of all others. Only the Green Party will fight to improve our children’s education with a fair and equitable school system.”

At the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) general meeting in Toronto yesterday members voted in favour of a motion that would see public funding of public education in Ontario be limited to secular schools. Only the GPO is calling for a public commission to study merging the Catholic and public systems. 

Ontario is the only province that provides full public funding for a single faith while providing no funding for other faith-based schools. As a result the UN Human Rights Committee has censured Canada  in 1999 and 2005 for the discrimination in Ontario’s school system.

“McGuinty has repeatedly slammed the door on talking about this issue. Instead he continues to ram the Liberals’ political agenda down the throats of parents and teachers,” continued Schreiner. “Our children deserve a fair and equitable system regardless of their faith or sexual orientation.”

Recently Catholic Schools have come under fire for discouraging Gay Straight Alliances, student-run clubs that promote tolerance for diversity.

“The McGuinty Liberals are quick to place the burden on teachers and have failed to recognize how wasteful our system is,” added Danckert.

A study prepared by William J. Phillips, Past-President of The Federation of Urban Neighbourhoods of Ontario Inc. estimates savings from merging the school boards of $1.3 billion to $1.6 billion per year.

“It’s time to demand a better solution for our children and this province’s future,” added Dancket. “As your first Green MPP in Queen’s Park I will not let the other parties evade this issue any longer.”