Level the fundraising playing field
Re ‘The poverty outside is reflected inside’, April 11 It is surprising that the Toronto District School Board, which prides itself on teaching and promoting equity, does not have a policy in place that disperses donated funds with equity in mind.
One of the “strategic objectives” of the TDSB’s mission statement is to “identify disadvantage and intervene effectively,” yet it continues to allow this two-tier system of fundraising to continue.
It would make more sense, and be more in line with its own mission statement, for each school’s collected funds to be pooled centrally and then dispersed to each school according to the Learning Opportunity Index. Those parents who are truly altruistic would continue to donate and fundraise for the greater good and those who aren’t could enrol their children in private school. Daniel Warden, Toronto
It is disheartening that some schools are raising thousands of dollars while others are not even close. Disheartening because of the inequity it creates but also because many school councils are convinced this is their role. It isn’t.
School councils were established to provide a forum for “parents to improve student achievement and enhance the accountability of the system to parents.” Research shows this occurs through parent engagement not wallets. That means building the capacity of families to support their children’s education.
The good news is that schools in lowerincome areas are as capable of doing this as their peers in well-off ones. It starts by understanding what is possible and figuring out how to do it — without having your hands in parents’ pockets. Nancy Angevine-Sands, Scarborough
This gap is not surprising. Such disparities already exist at the level of higher education and health care. A walk through one of Toronto’s many hospitals on University Ave. quickly reminds us where such institutions are turning for their funding. Universities and colleges are having the same difficulties.
The corporate sector is taking advantage of post-secondary educational disparities by offering their support and I suspect elementary schools (and students by proxy) will vie for the same.
I hope Premier Kathleen Wynne and the prime minister will put a halt to this rapid (and not so inevitable) movement in the wrong direction. Dr. Mohammad Zubairi, developmental pediatrician, Toronto
Many on the political right are fond of presenting specious “proof” that Torontonians oppose any increase in taxes. But the Star’s report on school fundraising shows that, given the chance to “tax” themselves to improve the quality of their children’s education, residents are happy to cough up tens of millions of dollars. And they do it in a naturally “progressive” manner: the rich pay the most, the poor pay the least.
The problem with this voluntary taxation is that it favours only the children of the rich, whereas all children, rich or poor, represent our future, and all should benefit from the investment of our money in their education. That can’t happen under the current “fundraising” system; it can only happen in a fair and progressive taxation system.
It’s also unfair and ineffective to raise money outside the tax system and spend it preferentially on kids who already have enormous advantages of wealth. Stuart Rogers, Toronto
Re Share the wealth, Editorial April 14 While I certainly agree that “all bake sales are not created equal,” having the board set a limit on fundraising is a mistake. Instead, I suggest that the TDSB create partnerships between schools in its system — a top earner with a low earner. Each school would carry on its own fundraising but the proceeds would go into a single pot to be divided equally between the two sister schools.
This way parent councils are encouraged to fundraise to their full potential. Debbie Coffey, Toronto
In your editorial you opine that “Ontario should set up a system that shares the fundraising windfall enjoyed by affluent public schools and brings more extracurricular activities to poor neighbourhoods.” We already have a system for sharing funds: taxes. If the Star wants to advocate for equity of access to public education, then it should be looking not at how parents can fill the holes created by Ontario’s ineffective, inefficient and outdated funding formula, but rather at how schools are funded. Leslie Wolfe, vice president, OSSTF Toronto Teachers’ Bargaining Unit, Toronto
The Star believes that education officials should put a limit on “unfettered fundraising” for extra-curricular activities by parents in more affluent neighbourhoods but encourage them to continue to fundraise and share 50 per cent of the additional money raised with schools in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Why not take this position to its logical conclusion? Wouldn’t setting a maximum amount on profits that a corporation or person can make and requiring them to share 50 per cent any excess with the disadvantaged not go a long way in reducing the poverty problem that the Star has consistently exposed?
Why target only the affluent neighbourhood parent councils? Greg Sheehan, Mississauga
As a college educator, every day I see the outcome of being marginalized by the public education system — particularly hard hit are racialized students and those who live in poverty. They enter the classroom already disadvantaged in terms of literacy and academic skills.
So many are bright with lots of potential but they don’t know it because the system gives them the opposite message. Many are not successful because of the barriers they face in achieving academic success. The broader implications are serious and include high levels of unemployment, mental health issues and increases in crime and violence. Everyone loses when we don’t share resources and build capacity in all children.
The solution? Put all money raised by parent councils into a central fund that is divided equally among all schools — or, even better, proportionally based on needs. In a perfect world we would care about all children, not just our own. Linda Hill, Toronto
It is shocking to know that TDSB is running a two-tier education system.
Since fundraising is an integral part of funding for extracurricular activities and reflects community participation, the practice should not be stopped. However, all such funds should be turned over to a “private fund pool” administered by the board. Funds would then be distributed to all schools based on the number of students.
The same formula should be applied in other boards in Ontario. Rehana Zuberi, Mississauga