THE MYTH ON ONTARIO’S EDUCATION PLAN

Since the new PC government took power last year the teachers and their unions have been working hard to demonize the Ford govt as anti-education and wanting to cut programs and services, fire teacher and drastically increase class sizes. Now I need to set the tone of this article from the start, I have nothing but the highest respect for teachers and the teaching profession. I have many very close friends in the profession and place them in a very special place in society. However, the teacher’s unions I have absolutely no use for as they provide no value in this province other than serve themselves and pander to any left leaning organization who will listen and support them. They do nothing to improve our education system or support our youth. They are a self-serving socialist, fearmongering, divisive, self-entitled group of thugs who use our children as pawns any chance they get. In my view they serve no positive purpose in a democratic society.

Over the past few weeks the unions and the people who support them have been spreading false information on what the first budget this government put forward will do to education in Ontario. Before I get into specifics let’s get a few things clear.

1.     Our province is currently on debt to the tune of $348.79 billion dollars. That is $22,500 per man woman and child in the province.

2.     The current budget deficit is $13 billion. Which means the province is spending $13 billion more every year than it generates.

3.     We currently pay $1 billion per month just in interest.

We can no longer accept this as a people and we need to get our finances back under control. Over the past 15 yrs. the Liberals under Dalton McGuinty and more recently Kathleen Wynne have placed a huge burden on taxpayers and their children. They will go down as the worse govt in Ontario history (Worse than Bob Ray if that is possible).

Now let’s get into the myths the teachers union have been spreading of over the past few weeks and how they have demonized the Ford govt.

According to some ads posted on social media including this one:

The Doug Ford PC’s were going to increase class sizes to 40-50 students per class. Well that is a Myth. The truth is far less dramatic as stated on page 128 of the budget:

·       Kindergarten to Grade 3 class sizes will remain the same. (Page 128)

·       Grad 4 to 8 will maintain an average of 24.5 students per class (Page 128)

·       Grad 9 to 12 the Government would require school boards to maintain an average class size of 28 students per class. Which aligns with class sizes in other Canadian provinces

Far less than the 40-50 students the Unions have been screaming for the past 2 weeks.

Then there are the cuts to the number of teachers. Which is illustrated here:

Well I went over the budget with a fine-tooth comb and I could not find one mention of cuts to teachers. What I did find was far less intimidating. On page 128 of the budget it states the following with regards to teacher hiring practices:

·       Provide increased mobility for teachers in Ontario;

·       Ensure that teaching positions are filled by the right candidate;

·       Simplify the hiring process to reduce turnover in the classroom;

·       Reduce bias in hiring by addressing conflict of interest;

·       Ensure equity and diversity in hiring practices; and

·       Apply to all the school systems, including the French‐language school boards.

Not remotely close to the over 500 position cuts indicated in this ad is it.

Now these are only a few of the items the unions have been advertising and mis-informing Ontario tax payers about. There are a number of items in the Budget that are much better to share however they would not follow their narrative of the anti-teacher PC Govt slash and burn plan. So, I have added them for you to look over and consider the consequences to our children.

1.     Indigenous Education (Page 129)

a.     Province to invest an additional $3.7 million in 2019-20 to revise curriculum for Grades- 9 to 12

2.     Education Consultations (Page 130)

a.     Improving student performance in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM);

b.     Preparing students for work with important job skills, such as skilled trades and coding;

c.     Improving provincial standardized testing;

d.     Ensuring students graduate with important life skills, such as financial literacy;

e.     Managing the use of technology in classrooms, such as cellphones;

f.      Building a new, age‐appropriate Health and Physical Education curriculum that includes subjects

g.     such as mental health, sexual health education and the legalization of cannabis; and

h.     Developing the first‐ever Ministry of Education Parents’ Bill of Rights.

3.     Parents Bill of Rights (Page 132)

a.     Ensuring the rights of the parents are respected.

b.     Ensure open communication with Parents

c.     Rights to withdraw their children from lessons, classes and schools that are teaching content they do not agree with and allow parents to express an opinion about what their child is being taught in the classroom, especially with respect to health and physical education.

4.     Ministers Task Force on School Boards (Page 132)

a.     involves looking at all aspects of the education system, including school board operations

b.     respecting the four publicly funded education systems in Ontario

c.     review of how boards can conduct their operations in the most efficient manner to best serve students and parents

5.     Curriculum Reform (Page 132)

a.     The Province will revise the Ontario curriculum based on research and feedback from the public consultations.

6.     Education Quality and Accountability Office (Page 132)

a.     will work with the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) to implement a better approach to standardized testing.

7.     Developing a Mathematics Strategy Built for Success (Page 133)

a.     A new mathematics curriculum for all students in Grades 1 to 12 phased in over four years. The curriculum will move away from Discovery Math and back to fundamental math concepts and skills, such as traditional formulas and memorization techniques;

b.     New teachers will be required to pass a math content knowledge test to become certified to teach in Ontario. For teachers already in the system, the government will provide funding to take additional qualification courses in math; and

c.     Offering supports to parents and access to student learning opportunities outside of the school day, including summer learning and tutoring by third parties.

8.     Enhancing Financial and Economic Literacy for Students (Page 134)

a.     Province is enhancing the mathematics curriculum and the Grade 10 Career Studies course to better equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to make responsible economic and financial decisions.

I think most of us would agree that the list of items above are more positive for our children and their future then the union would like to admit. All this to say don’t believe everything that is posted and stated. Inform yourself, it took 30mins for me to read the information and make an educated opinion based on fact not hear-say and not from an organization who would like nothing better if we continued to throw billions of dollars at them every time they cry wolf. It is time we take control back from the fear mongering and divisive propaganda perpetuated by the teacher’s unions.  

Link to the budget document: https://budget.ontario.ca/2019/contents.html