POLITICAL PARTY POSITIONS -
PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE |
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Concerns |
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1. |
Many citizens did not hear or see the details of the actual printed plan announced on July 23rd at Queen’s Park by Mr. J. Tory in which he explained how he would address the party position on the funding issue. |
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2. |
The election propaganda has created a very black and white climate around the proposal, making it look like a done deal with instant major negative consequences. |
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Many Christian school supporters were confused by reports in the media, where reporters tried to fill in many details which were not included. |
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Facts |
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4. |
The detailed plan was published on July 23, 2007. It has five main components: |
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a) |
Establish a Public Education Fairness Implementation Commission in Fall 2007; |
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This Commission, chaired by Mr. Davis, meets in Winter 2008; |
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Pilot programs begin in 2008-2009, monitored by the Commission; |
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Proposed legislative changes require a vote in the House in 2009-2010; |
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Implementation of new plan in 2010-2011 (an election year). |
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5. |
The accountability principles are listed in the official PC party platform found at www.leadershipmatters.ca/issues/publiceducation/. |
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6. |
There is no hidden agenda behind these principles, as they were drafted after consultation with independent school representatives. |
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7. |
So far no decision has been taken with respect to the critical governance and structure questions. These remain to be defined by the Commission. The Eden high school model is not in the plan! |
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OACS schools will have no problems with the proposed accountability standards concerning curriculum, certification and student testing. |
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9. |
The main PC Agenda for public education contains a number of useful proposals, such as funding all programs for autistic children. |
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Principles |
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Public funding brings accountability to regular public education standards held in public schools. This is normal in all policy areas. |
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It may be feasible to trade off some specific grants for specific concessions in compliance, but this will be examined by the Commission and discussed more fully later. |
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Talking Points |
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12. |
Do Christian supporters know what the current accountability standards are? |
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An open vote is a vote in the Legislature in which MPPs are free to vote on their conscience and are not bound by the party’s official position. This is often done on controversial matters (see 4 (d) above), but it does not change the Plan or the Position. |
