Merging schools a matter of time
Re Ontario’s schools at risk, March 8 If the Ontario public and Catholic school systems were merged, the combined pupil populations would allow each community to have a school. In addition, the huge savings of more than $1.5 billion every year would ensure that there would be sufficient funding for special-needs students.
Polls have consistently shown that about two-thirds of Ontario citizens in all parts of Ontario support this merger. There would be no difficulty merging the teachers into one system as both public and Catholic teachers are taught in the same faculties of educations and the same universities.
I suspect that most Catholic school teachers would not object to being removed from the oversight of the Roman Catholic Church, especially as it relates to gay and transsexual students.
To enable the formation of language-based (English and French) school systems in Ontario, a resolution to amend the Constitution would have to be passed by the Ontario legislature and then forwarded to the government of Canada.
The tradition has been established that the government of Canada would debate and pass enabling legislation to amend the Constitution, which would permit the phasing in of the merger of the Ontario Public and Catholic school systems. All that appears to be necessary is a decision by the Ontario government to pursue such a change.
Sooner or later, our elected members of the Ontario legislature will be forced to recognize that we cannot afford to fund four school systems (two English language and two French language) in Ontario. It would be better for all students in Ontario if it was sooner than later. William Phillips, Toronto