FINANCING EDUCATION IN ONTARIO |
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Context |
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Some politicians are claiming that the government cannot afford to fund faith-based schools because: |
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1. |
There is no money to support an additional 50,000 students or 2.5% of the total student population. |
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The money will leave the “public” system and it will collapse due to underfunding. |
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Facts |
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3. |
All students are entitled to a free education by law! |
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If the 125,000 independent school students were to enrol in the public system tomorrow, the government would have to spend an additional $1,000,000,000.00—that’s 1 BILLION this year. |
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The current education budget is $18 BILLION or $9,200 per student. |
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The three major parties are committed to a major increase in education funding of at least $2.5 BILLION or 20% over the next three years. |
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The cost per student in the “public/catholic” system will rise to $11,000 per enrolled child. |
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8. |
The cost per student in a faith-based private elementary school ranges from $4,000 to $10,000 per student depending on whether: |
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a) |
the school is urban or rural; |
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it is subsidized by a church; |
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c) |
it pays its teachers properly. |
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9. |
The average family income is $44,000 in Canada. |
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Half of Canada’s families earn less than that per year as gross, not net. |
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The well-off family earns $77,000 a year. 25% of the population is in the upper middle class. |
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This means that being able to afford both an elementary and a secondary private school is now limited to 20% of the population. |
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Only the top 5% of earners have beaten the cost of living increases in their income, but their tax levels have gone up as well. |
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Talking Points |
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These patterns have not changed over the last two decades. The middle class is being squeezed. |
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How do you suppose this trend will impact further enrolments at private schools? |
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Action Notes |
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16. |
What kind of economic and demographic area is your school in and how will this determine its future? |
