Back in December, Fix Our Schools submitted this report as input to the annual pre-budget consultation process carried out by our provincial government, highlighting the need for this government to:
- Provide adequate and stable funding to school boards.
- Develop a standard of good repair for all Ontario’s publicly funded schools.
- Continue to collect and publicly update the disrepair data for all Ontario’s publicly funded schools, adding portables to this process.
- Invest the additional $1.6-billion per year needed to eliminate the $15.9-billion repair backlog in schools within seven years.
- Work together in a non-partisan, solution-oriented manner to find the funding solutions needed to make the $1.6-billion per year investment in our schools.
On January 15, 2019, we had the opportunity to present to the Standing Committee of Finance & Economic Affairs. The official transcript of our presentation and subsequent questions from both NDP and PC members of this committee can be read HERE. This presentation served as a platform to further emphasize our asks above to the following members of this committee (or replacements for those unable to attend):
MPP Stephen Crawford – details of the $115.6-M of disrepair in Oakville Schools
MPP Jeremy Roberts – details of the $170.1-M of disrepair in Ottawa West-Nepean Schools
MPP Doug Downey – details of the $57.6-M of disrepair in Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte Schools
MPP Stan Cho – details of the $125-M of disrepair in Willowdale Schools
MPP Skelly – details of the $59.2-M of disrepair in Flamborough-Glanbrook Schools
MPP Shaw – details of the $144.7-M of disrepair in Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas Schools
MPP Marit Stiles – details of the $273.6-M of disrepair in Davenport Schools
Our hope is that our input will be considered seriously as this government develops the spring budget.