School budget spares pools from axe

Some programs and positions were spared the knife in Paul Christie’s school budget.

This includes all 84 school pools, which represents a victory for all of the parents, students, teachers, trustees and city councillors who have fought to keep them open. In October, it was uncovered that the province planned to close all the pools by Christmas.

Although Christie, the TDSB supervisor appointed by the province, made the cuts to the budget, he is acting on behalf of the education minister and the Ernie Eves government.

"I wrote to the Minister of Education Elizabeth Witmer and asked her to look at the extra $10 million in education levies they get (from taxpayers each year)," said Willowdale Councillor David Shiner (Ward 24). "I asked that they use some of that money to keep the pools open."

The city offered to pay two-thirds of the $9.9 million it costs annually to operate the pools, which are used not only by students but the community as well.

"The minister has now communicated that they’ll accept our generous offer of $6.3 million to keep the pools open until next summer and work with the city on a long-term solution," Shiner told the Town Crier.

In some cases pools have been closed because staff could not be hired (due to the hiring freeze) to replace those who had left.

While Christie has not lifted the hiring freeze on non-teaching staff, his budget allows for some funding for educational assistants, aquatic instructors and lunchroom supervisors.

According to Christie, the budget increases spending for classroom teachers, supplies, textbooks and hall monitors compared to last year. However, that has been questioned by MPP Gerard Kennedy the Liberal party’s education critic.

John Weatherup, president of Canadian Union of Public Employees local 4400, which represents 12,000 TDSB employees, has suggested where Christie should have cuts costs.

"The budget is balanced. Leave the board," said Weatherup. "You are costing $1 million to lead it."

The figure, though, is closer to $500,000 for Christie, his staff and the public relations firm the government is using, said trustee Paula Fletcher.

Weatherup was one of 41 scheduled to make deputations at North York Civic Centre on Nov. 20, the day after the budget was delivered.

Besides the usual security that is present at public consultations and council meetings, there were two uniformed police officers on hand at the North York meeting.

"Giving people less than 48 hours notice of these meetings makes a mockery of the notion of public consultation," said Kathleen Foley, whose daughter attends Hawthorne II Alternative School near Christie and Bloor Streets.

"Children are educated in schools, not classrooms. It is the system that needs funding. With your budget, the tally is now $400 million in cuts from the education system in less than five years."

Two other sessions were held on Nov. 21: in Scarborough and Etobicoke. These have been the only public meetings Christie has held since he took over the school board in August. The budget was approved by the province on Nov. 22.

‘With your budget, the tally is now $400 million in cuts from the education system in less than five years.’ — Kathleen Foley, Parent

Publicly elected school trustees have not been permitted to hold board meetings and are seeking an injunction in court to reverse this policy.

"This started out as a fight about money, then public education and now it’s about democracy. If you continue to tamper with democracy and freedom of speech than you better be prepared for a battle, because you’ll do it over my dead body," said Lin Gibon, a parent with a child at Parkdale C.I.

"You did make the $90 million in cuts that the majority of our school trustees could not — in good conscience — make," said Elaine Salisbury, president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario. "But we knew you could and if that is defined as success, congratulations."

Some of the $90 million in cuts to the board’s education budget included:

— 63 fewer vice principals.

— Cutting 237.5 positions from administration. Christie has not indicated which jobs will be cut.

— Keeping the temperature in schools one degree warmer in the summer and one-degree cooler in the winter.

— Closing two of the seven adult day schools by next June.

— Consolidating night school locations from 10 to eight locations.

— Student-computer ratio increases from six students sharing a computer to 10:1. Spending for additional computers deferred.

— While the maintenance budget is maintained at 2001-02 levels, $13 million is cut in this area.

— All 24 community advisors are phased out by January.

The entire budget is available online at the board’s Web site at TDSB.