Media
Release from the Society for Quality Education
TORONTO – January 19, 2007
The Society for Quality Education has submitted the following to the Minister of Finance as part of the provincial pre-budget consultations:
There is a widely held perception that public education in Ontario is starved of funding, and that a larger percentage of the budget should be devoted to education. Given all the other pressures on the budget, including the need to balance it, the result is that the Minister of Finance is faced with a difficult juggling act.
However, there is no need to increase spending on public education. In terms of per-student spending, Ontario spends more on education than most other provinces, even though its students consistently perform at or below the Canadian average. It’s the same story when it comes to other countries – countries like Japan and Singapore, which lead the pack in achievement, are moderate spenders. In fact, the research is quite consistent in finding no positive correlation between education spending and student achievement.
Increased spending will not result in higher student achievement. Instead, what is needed are government policies that will make the money go further as well as raise test scores. Here are a few examples of policies that will do both. All examples were taken from a report commissioned by the Ontario Ministry of Finance’s Value for Money Review in 2002. The full report is at http://edconsultants.com/documents/Other%20reports/Ontario.pdf .
- School-Based Funding and Budgeting
Ontario should provide funding directly to schools, rather than filtering it through school boards.
- Special Education
Ontario should introduce measures, such as public-private service providers and opportunity scholarships to independent schools that will result in greater consumer choice.
- Pupil Assessment and Reporting
The current program for student assessment at grades 3, 6, 9, and 10 is inadequate for a performance-driven education system. Ontario should pursue public-private partnerships for tests in every grade from 3 to 10.
The Society was one of the organizations invited to participate in pre-budget consultations being held throughout the province. "We need to find innovative ways to allow for new ideas when it comes to funding education," said SQE President Malkin Dare. "Parents are looking for more choices, especially when it comes to special needs. The 'one size fits all' model is just not working anymore," added executive director, Doretta Wilson, who made the short presentation to the Minister of Finance.
The Society for Quality Education is a charitable, non-profit organization dedicated to providing facts about quality education. The Society works to advance public and private education in Canada by disseminating authoritative information on educational governance and methodology. The Society is funded entirely by private donations. More information can be found at www.societyforqualityeducation.org.
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