I agree. With all this debate about faith-based school funding and creationism, we are losing sight of the big picture. Ironically, John Tory is doing his campaign a disservice by introducing controversial issues. He should be focusing on existing problems that require legitimate concern.
Lorrie explains how our system is already segregated:
In Toronto, we prefer our apartheid light. It's not official policy. It's the default system we use to keep poor black kids in their place, a corruption of the valid concept of the "local" school. And if that "local" school happens to sit in the middle of massive public housing projects where idiot social engineers jammed hundreds of thousands of poor people a few generations back, without any support, tough.
( . . . )
Memo to John Tory: Don't fall into the trap of being goaded by the Liberal machine as a negative-campaigner for criticizing the failures of the McGuinty government.
It isn't 'negative'.
It's called the truth.
A task force appointed by the board has reported one of the problems at that school and others is that troubled and violent students are being transferred from one school to the next, instead of being given remedial help or, if necessary, expelled.
Teachers trying to maintain discipline reported a lack of support from local administrators and the school board -- which two years ago effectively made a deal with Ontario's human rights commission to expel fewer troublemakers because it was allegedly having a disproportionate (read "racist") impact on some black students.
That would be on the small minority of violent black students who now end up going from school to school terrorizing the vast majority of law-abiding black students.
In Ontario, we call this "progress." What it is, is insane.
Memo to John Tory: Don't fall into the trap of being goaded by the Liberal machine as a negative-campaigner for criticizing the failures of the McGuinty government.
It isn't 'negative'.
It's called the truth.
* * * *
14 comments:
Memo to John Tory: Don't fall into the trap of being goaded by the Liberal machine as a negative-campaigner for criticizing the failures of the McGuinty government.
It isn't 'negative'.
It's called the truth.
Bull's-eye.
Just exactly do you expect a totally conservative journalist to say? Don't be so naive.
and, we have to keep in mind who's behind Tory's school issue don't we....uh, huh.
Anon, if you're inferring what I think you're inferring, that's pretty low and disgusting.
Lorrie's column is dead-on. However, I have already heard a rumour that McGuinty has been talking to the OPSBA pres. about merging all boards into one. Especially in the north and small boards where there's a serious declining enrollment problem.
Don't be surprised if the Liberals, opportunists that they are, don't, in the next few weeks, and months move in this direction.
Fewer kids simply require less administration.
I wonder how he'll break it to the Catholic system though?
However, I have already heard a rumour that McGuinty has been talking to the OPSBA pres. about merging all boards into one. Especially in the north and small boards where there's a serious declining enrollment problem.
How very, very interesting. Please do keep us informed.
BTW, Anon at 09:05:00 AM - Try reading the whole editorial next time before you open your big yap.
i heard on bill carroll's show this am that today's rpomise for the libs is full time kindergarten for everyone
Joanne,just a personal opinion.
McGuinty and Kinsella have managed to suck pretty much everyone in by making the schooling issue the one in the news every day.
Tory and the Conservatives need to break from this and start reminding voters about the broken promises,scandals(Colle-gate,lottery corporation),lost manufacturing jobs since he took office,delisting of medical sevices such as physiotherapy and eye exams,etc,running defecits for 3 years. It's also a good idea to let voters know exactly what McGuinty gave the teachers unions and the costs of what are essentially bought votes.
Until Tory starts addressing and reminding voters of these things I can't see polls or voters intentions changing much. And the thought of 4 more years of the lying b!@#@*&^ is pretty sad to think about.
Torian - More 'promises' to come shortly.
Paul, I totally agree.
i happen to have a child in public school in downtown toronto. my experience couldn't be further from what goldstein describes.
here's a great alternative view to goldstein's cynicism.
at the end of each school year, my oldest child's PUBLIC school hosts a picnic for the entire community.
my wife, a chilean refugee herself, and i mingle with parents from every continent,faith background and economic condition to discuss the past year and to simply enjoy watching our kids play together.
i don't deny that this situation may not be the norm at every school in toronto but i happen to believe that it's more common than the nay-sayers would have us believe.
it's ironic that those who are the most likely to slam toronto have little real experience with the city and it's people.
..and i can show you my old Highschool which is now nick named 'Afrika', which has no go hallways for white students..and that is in south Etobicoke, not exactly a hotbed of racial unrest..
jeff,
with public schools, generally you are "bounded" by area and told which school you child will go to.
Usually that school is within walking distance, part of the neighborhood.
Now maybe your sit. is different, but generally speaking, neighborhoods share similar traits.
I'm guessing that people who live and go to PS in leaside have more expensive homes, have a higher SES, parents have higher education and more white collar jobs compared to say the neighborhood surrounding PSs in Jane-Finch.
I realize I pick two extremes to make my point, but you have to admit that TO is pretty segregated in this way. You could take a map, look at income levels, house values, educations levels, etc and I bet you would find large pockets within the GTA of have vs have not neighborhoods.
Why are the gang members not shipped to an area like leaside? Or closer, like bathurst and steeles?
Schools are already segregated by these boundaries in so many more important ways besides faith.
"Education experts say the $400 million being earmarked for the extension would be more than enough to pay for this given that the infrastructure for kindergarten already exists in the school system."
has mcguinty even BEEN in a school??
the infrastructure exists...sure it does!!! right now my kid's school has 6 kindergarten classes. That, combined with the cap they have on primary class sizes (which includes kindergarten), where the HELL does he propose we put all these children???
I know it is a stupid question, but does any politician actually THINK?????
I've never before felt so depressed about the future of ontario.
In my former city of Windsor, while the population of white students is very large overall, in some high schools white students are the minority.
I assumed that it was just something that happened in Windsor.
Post a Comment