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Will Premier Wynne’s government commit to fixing the disrepair in our schools?

March 7, 2016

Education Critic MPP Lisa Gretzky asked a series of questions to the Liz Sandals, Minister of Education during Question Period on February 22, as is noted below in the recording of that exchange.

Sadly, during this exchange, Premier Wynne’s government seemed content to have increased funding for school repairs. Yet, our provincial government seemed oblivious to the fact that, even with the increases, the funding they are allocating for school repairs is far less than what Ontario’s Auditor-General has confirmed is actually needed to keep our schools in good repair.

Imagine if you owed $100 to Rogers or Bell for your monthly phone service and you pay them $2.50. When their Accounts folks call, you proudly let them know you’re going to double your payment for the month and pay an additional $2.50, bringing the grand total to $5 on an outstanding bill of $100. We’re quite certain that Rogers or Bell would be unimpressed with you doubling your monthly payment and would, instead, focus on the fact that you still owe them $95 of the $100 bill! We’d like Premier Wynne and Minister Sandals to start focusing on what is needed to ensure schools are safe, well-maintained buildings for our children to spend six hours each day. We’d like them to stop congratulating themselves on increasing funding, when it isn’t yet close to sufficient!

Hansard Recording from Feb 22, 2016

Mrs. Lisa Gretzky: My question is to the Minister of Education. Schools in this province are falling apart. Over the past five years alone, this government has underfunded school repairs by $5.8 billion. Add that to the previous repair backlog and we now have a shortfall of $15 billion—that’s billions, Speaker.

Kids are being forced to wear winter coats inside because classrooms are 12 degrees. Roofs are collapsing and children are being injured by broken infrastructure. While this government starves school boards of the resources they need to address these issues, students and families are being left behind.

My question is simple. With a budget on the horizon, Ontario families want to know: Will this government stop cuts to the classroom and commit to fixing the disrepair in our schools?

Hon. Liz Sandals: I’m pleased to report that, in fact, we have continued to increase education funding. If you look at the amount of funding that was received in 2003 and compare it to today, it’s up $8.1 billion. That’s 56%, at a time when the number of students has decreased.

Interjection: I think she said “billion.”

Hon. Liz Sandals: Billion with a “b.”

The amount per pupil has gone up. The absolute amount has gone up. The amount of funding for school renewal has gone up. The amount for school renovations has gone up. The amount of money for school repairs has gone up. Everything is going up.

While there do continue to be schools that are not in great shape, we have actually fixed the funding model—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you.

Supplementary?

Mrs. Lisa Gretzky: That just shows how out of touch the minister is, because the needs of the students have increased, the cost of electricity has increased and the cost of transportation has increased. Therefore, the budgets are not sufficient.

Again, to the Minister: Ontario boasts highly qualified education and child-care workers, bright students and parents who want what’s best for their children. This morning, organizations like Fix Our Schools, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario and the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care held a press conference at Queen’s Park to demand answers. Directors of education, trustees and students also attended.

The Minister of Education needs to put our students first. Kids are paying the price for her misplaced priorities. This government must recognize that it’s unacceptable that kids are wearing winter coats in classrooms.

Will this government repair our schools and finally provide a safe and equal opportunity education for all Ontario students?

Fix Our Schools presentation

March 2, 2016

Consider showing this presentation at your next school council meeting!

It shows in vivid detail how a school LOOKS when a significant repair backlog exists. These photos of Ontario schools in disrepair illustrate in a vivid way how a child’s learning experience is negatively impacted by the $15-billion of disrepair in Ontario’s publicly funded schools.

Ontario’s Auditor-General confirmed that our provincial government has underfunded school repairs in this province by $5.8-billion over the past five years. The recently announced provincial budget for the upcoming year continues this tradition of underfunding.

These pictures say it all. Premier Wynne and her government must start funding our children’s schools as important infrastructure to Fix Our Schools!

Premier Wynne cuts real, per capita government spending

March 1, 2016

The Globe & Mail’s editorial entitled “Ontario: A budget that dare not speak its name”, from Thursday, February 25, 2016, states that Premier Wynne’s government has a plan to,

“cut real, per capita government spending, year after year, for years”.

This editorial goes on to provide facts and figures that prove Premier Wynne’s government has made cuts to Ontario’s health care and cuts to education.

Wynne continues to underfund school repairs in this province

March 1, 2016

Members of Fix Our Schools were at Queen’s Park last Thursday, February 25 when the provincial budget speech was delivered. Unfortunately, despite their own Auditor-General’s confirmation that public school repairs have been grossly and chronically underfunded, there was no new money announced for school repairs in this provincial budget.

Premier Wynne’s government mentioned an $11-billion investment over ten years to help build new schools in areas of high growth, reduce surplus space through school consolidations and improve the condition of existing facilities. This $11-billion was originally announced in 2014 so this is not new money for school boards to deal with capital issues. Instead, this represents an average of only $1.1-billion per year for school boards to address the following capital needs:

building new schools in areas of high growth
school retrofits and building required due to closing of under-utilized schools, and last but not least…
school repairs, which now exceed $15-billion across the province

Ontario’s Auditor-General confirmed that $1.4-billion per year should be given to school boards JUST for school repairs. Therefore, an allocation of $1.1-billion per year for school boards to address myriad capital needs seems to confirm that our provincial government is content to continue to underfund the very buildings where 2-million Ontario children spend their days.

Parents demanding school repairs at Queen’s Park: CBC Coverage

February 23, 2016

On February 22, Fix Our Schools was at Queen’s Park demanding that Kathleen Wynne’s government provide the funding needed to fix Ontario’s crumbling schools, as covered by CBC.

We were joined by teachers, students, childcare advocates, trustees and school board staff to highlight that disrepair in Ontario’s schools is an important issue impacting real people every day. Students, preschoolers, teachers, principals, and community members all deserve safe, well-maintained schools!

Push to fix public schools: On CTV News at 6 pm

February 23, 2016

Spencer Higdon-McGreal, a grade 12 student who accompanied Fix Our Schools at Queen’s Park on February 22, spoke about how cold classrooms in winter make learning challenging, as covered on CTV News at 6 pm. Spencer has experienced firsthand the negative impact of disrepair in schools for the past 14 years.

Students in this province should not need to wear winter coats in their classrooms!

Premier Wynne: Will you increase annual provincial funding for school maintenance to provide the $1.4-billion/year to school boards that the Auditor-General has identified is required to maintain Ontario’s publicly funded schools?

More funding needed to fix crumbling schools: On CTV News at Noon

February 23, 2016

Fix Our Schools asks Premier Wynne, “Will you release the $1.7-billion that is needed to fix the critical and urgent disrepair that your Auditor-General has confirmed exists in our children’s schools?” at Queen’s Park press conference covered on CTV News at Noon on February 22, 2016.

Fix Our Schools was joined by ETFO President Sam Hammond, who spoke about specific examples of disrepair that impacts both students and teachers in this province; Carolyn Ferns from the Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare, who spoke on behalf of the preschoolers and families who rely on childcare housed in publicly funded schools, and Spencer Higdon-McGreal, a Grade 12 student who spoke about how disrepair in schools impacts students.

Students, preschoolers, teachers, staff, principals and community members all deserve safe, well-maintained schools and ask that these important community buildings start to be funded as the critical public infrastructure they are.

You can make a difference!

February 21, 2016

Every week, our provincial government meets to discuss its priorities. You can impact these discussions by making a simple phone call or sending an email to your MPP.

Not sure what to say? Here are some ideas:

Ontario’s Auditor-General confirmed the Province should have allocated $7-billion over the last five years for school repairs but they only allocated $1.2-billion, creating a funding shortfall of $5.8-billion for buildings where 2-million children learn each day.
How are you going to ensure the provincial government addresses the gross and chronic underfunding of school maintenance identified in the 2015 Auditor-General’s report?
How are you going to ensure the $15-billion of disrepair in Ontario’s schools is addressed, especially the $1.7-billion identified as both critical and urgent?
As a citizen, I expect the provincial government to fund schools as critical public infrastructure to ensure they are safe, well-maintained buildings.

Contact information for all Ontario MPPs

Asking Premier Wynne’s government to prioritize schools in this budget

February 21, 2016

In an open letter sent on January 29, Fix Our Schools requested a coordinated response to the following three questions by February 19 from Premier Wynne, Deputy Premier Matthews, Finance Minister Sousa, Infrastructure Minister Duguid, and Education Minister Sandals:

Will you, as a provincial government, release $1.7-billion to fix the critical and urgent disrepair the Auditor-General has confirmed exists in Ontario’s publicly funded schools?
Will you increase annual provincial funding for school maintenance to provide the $1.4-billion/year to school boards that the Auditor-General has identified is required to maintain Ontario’s publicly funded schools?
How will you address the remaining $13.3-billion of capital repair items that provincial governments have allowed to accumulate in Ontario’s publicly funded schools?

We received an entirely unsatisfactory response letter on the evening of February 19.

Premier Wynne and her government fail to explain how they are going to immediately address the $1.7-billion of critical and urgent disrepair that Ontario’s Auditor-General says exists in our children’s schools. Our provincial government also fails to explain how they will account for the gross and chronic underfunding of public schools in this province and ignores the question on whether they will increase annual provincial funding for school maintenance to the $1.4-billion/year that Ontario’s Auditor-General says is required to maintain our schools.

Disappointed with our provincial government’s response, Fix Our Schools will be publicly asking the three questions above yet again on Monday, February 22 at a press conference being held at Queen’s Park.

Our presentation to City-School Boards Committee

February 16, 2016

As you know, Fix Our Schools is an Ontario-wide campaign. However, we are knocking on every door in an effort to raise awareness on disrepair in our schools and encourage action to address the $15-billion of disrepair currently plaguing Ontario’s schools.

With this in mind, Fix Our Schools attended the City of Toronto’s joint City-School Boards Advisory Committee meeting on February 11, 2016 and made this presentation, which calls upon Ontario’s largest municipality to consider how it can work together with all four local school boards to help Fix Our Schools.