Put public money in a public system
We’re due to take “our” census in the next couple of days. In this province, a head count is made on a specified morning falling as close as possible to the last date in September. Schools are funded for the current school year based on these numbers which then receive a detailed mathematical analysis. Just so you know; that are the reason computers were invented. Forget all those urban myths about bomb trajectory calculations. School funding formulae were at the root.
Anyhow, this province funds public education, obviously. It also provides a certain subset of the private system with monies. Not as much, but enough to engender arguments. Which leads me to my reactions over the election campaign now underway in Ontario.
There, the line in the sand is over extension of funding to religious schools. Similar to “our” privates, but different. Currently, only one faith-based group is bankrolled, and this has fed the envy animal. Even if envy is one of the capital sins, when it comes to the capital for your schools, all is forgiven. So, the province is in the midst of an election campaign, and the only story that gets column space involves the “right” to have a school which doesn’t reflect the belief or need of the public.
If I had a big broom, I’d clean house. Public money should fund public schools. Period.
Brand me a secular infidel, but the defense of any system which requires public money to fund private needs is extremely difficult. I don’t think we need yet another way to categorize children. To separate children. To fraction them up. Leave that to math class, in a group which reflects all the variety of our nation.
PEI figured this out close to two centuries ago. Public schools are for the public. One public, not two hundred and forty seven subsets that can’t tolerate their neighbour. I shan’t rant, but the taxpayer can’t afford to pay for petty infighting.
