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THE SHAPIRO COMMISSION |
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Context |
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In June 1984 Premier Davis announced that the Government of Ontario would go beyond the “1867 bargain” and extend full-funding to Catholic High Schools. |
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In June 1984 Premier Davis also established a Commission on Private Schools in Ontario to investigate funding for Independent schools; it was headed by Dr. B. Shapiro, the then Director of OISE in Toronto. |
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The election of 1985 defeated the Conservatives, and the Liberals, under Premier Peterson, came to power. They also supported full-funding, as did the NDP. |
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Education Minister S. Conway accepted the Shapiro Report in 1985, but did not act on it as he was busy fighting court cases over the extension of funding started by the public school boards, who were opposed to the extension. |
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Principles |
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The Commission provided a lot of information and stated the following principles as basic to the discussion: |
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That there should be no legal public monopoly in education, and private schools that meet the minimum standards specified by the government in terms of its obligation to both society and individual children should have a clear status in recognition both of the rights of citizens to make alternative choices and of the general value of diversity. |
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That, moreover, diversity within the public school system should also be encouraged. |
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That, as a matter of public policy, and so long as the public policy objectives outlined above are not substantially eroded, new initiatives both in the public support of private schools and in the relationship of these schools to the public schools should be actively developed and tested. |
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Talking Points |
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The Commission recommended three basic solutions: |
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All independent schools should be registered and inspected to verify that they are offering satisfactory instruction. |
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For schools that want to stay outside the system, the Commission recommended funding for support services such as transportation and learning resources. |
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For schools willing to enter into an agreement with a “public” school board, the Commission recommended full operational funding. |
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Action Notes |
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The Commission Report should be studied again. The OACS document The Mission for Educational Justice contains the recommendations and the OACS response to their recommendations. |
