An open letter to Premier Ford on education
The cuts Harris made are scars that haven’t healed. Don’t do it again
Dear Doug (I’m going to call you Doug, because anything else would seem too formal):
As you take power and begin the hard work of running this province, one thing is clear: you need to find money, lots of it, and quickly. Education workers across this province are fearful of the cuts you are likely to make in this quest for dollars. Education is expensive, and finding ways to cut from education budgets can be easily done; but not without inflicting harm. The dread is based in part by the lasting damage done by your Conservative predecessor, Mike Harris.
I know Harris shilled for you in the campaign. However, you would be wise to reflect on his handling of the education portfolio. It was always clear that Harris had no respect for the teaching profession. But we both know that the best education systems in the world, like those in Scandinavian countries, are founded upon profound respect for teachers as professionals.
The cuts and changes Harris made in education are scars that have not healed. A few examples should serve to illustrate this.
1. Ill-advised curriculum changes that saw a move to a rigorous, academic focus for all students. This only served to alienate students who were not academic by nature, and has led to their disenchantment with education, and causing them to reject school.
2. Standardized testing that further alienated them, rubbing their noses in their lack of success.
3. The elimination of ‘hands-on’ programs in elementary schools, like Family Studies, where kids learned to cook, or tech classes where kids made things with their own hands and where they had ample opportunities to develop their social skills. Of course this further alienated nonacademic students, and led to an overall lack of respect for trades.
4. The elimination of guidance counsellors in elementary schools, where they are sorely needed. News of students with mental-health crises and the resulting chaos and violence in schools is everywhere, as I am sure you are aware.
The issues faced in our education system cannot be improved by cuts. Money needs to be invested, not taken away. So how do you achieve these improvements without costing too much money? I have a few suggestions.
1. Eliminate standardized testing. It would save tens of millions per year, which could be reinvested. I know many believe these tests have value, but they do not offer anything in the way of student achievement that the classroom teacher does not already know.
2. Be bold and brave. Move to one publicly funded school system. It would save millions in the duplication of services.
3. If you must cut from boards, cut from the top. There is a widespread feeling among front-line workers in schools that boards are bloated with people in positions that have little to nothing to do with the day to day education of students. Eliminate some of those. Reinvest the money saved by increasing the number of EAs, for example. And rework those board jobs to ensure they are directly impacting students, and not pushing policy. 4. Reintroduce principals and viceprincipals back into teacher unions. I know — Harris made this move, and he would hate you for changing it. But his motives were suspect. He did it to create a divide between staff and administration, to make administrators answerable to boards rather than staff, and to further the idea of running schools as businesses. Schools aren’t businesses — they are the furthest thing from it. They are the most human of endeavours, and function best when everyone in them is part of a team, working together on the day to day task of running safe, healthy, effective schools. Free school administrators from ministry related tasks and turn them toward working with students and staff in very hands on ways. This is free — no cost involved.
I am a retired teacher Doug. I taught for 30 years, and spent too much of it fighting to protect students and education. I will continue to fight for education, but I am hoping that your government will see the importance of reinvesting wisely in education, not making drastic cuts that will create further harm.