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Viewpoint: School boards grapple large deficits

I grew up way back in the middle of the last century. In those days, public education was very different from what it has become today. Over the decades, there have been some very positive changes and some not so positive.

I grew up way back in the middle of the last century. In those days, public education was very different from what it has become today. Over the decades, there have been some very positive changes and some not so positive.

Certainly those changes, which opened doors to higher education for children of the working class, made life quite different for many of us.

Unfortunately, with recent funding cuts and the growing disparity between those who have and those who have not, we seem to have taken a step backward in this area. As a result, many of our college and university graduates begin their careers laden with huge debt.

Integration of those with diverse abilities has also allowed for significant positive changes in our social structure. However, as the number of those with learning challenges increases, the need for proper funding to provide resources for effective learning also grows.

Many of us can remember the days when governments valued public education as a way of creating equal opportunities for its citizens. Because there was adequate funding, students were well served and the public had confidence in the system. But, over the past four decades, too many of our young people, particularly those whose families are less affluent, are being left without the proper learning environment and confidence in the system is diminishing.

Prior to 1977, tax dollars collected as school tax went to support public education. Since that time, more and more of those dollars are being directed to independent schools. Today, these schools, including those serving the super-elite, receive funding of almost $500 million taxpayer dollars annually.

Since 2005/2006, independent schools have seen an increase of 15,000 students while public schools have lost 60,000 students. At the same time, government funding for independent schools has increased by nearly 70 per cent, while funding for public schools has risen by less than 20 per cent. In contrast, the province of Ontario, which has most of the elite independent schools in the country, provides funding only to public education.

Despite the recent increase in funding that came as a result of the court decision regarding class size and composition, many school boards continue to grapple with large deficits and find themselves with no choice but to continue to close schools and cut services. As they do, they foster the economic and social inequity public schools are intended to dispel.

We know children from low-income families start at a significant disadvantage in life, partly because of poor access to food and housing and partly because their parents lack time and resources.

This disadvantage can be partially offset by high-quality child care, early learning programs and ongoing, exciting educational opportunities, but there needs to be proper funding for these services.

Today as we see the proportion of children living in poverty  increasing, surely it is imperative that we create educational opportunities that will allow these young people to break the cycle and gain the knowledge and skills to be active and creative citizens who can participate in the care and transformation of this shining blue planet.

Before you vote in the upcoming provincial election, ask the candidates for their party’s position on funding for public education.

Jeanette Scott is a retired educator, currently serving her sixth term on the Powell River Board of Education.