For immediate release:
April 4, 2006

Where are education funding formulas: Barrett

Queen’s Park— MPP Toby Barrett told the Legislature that the proposed education bill is another broken promise, last night in the Legislature.

“I really feel that the actions of this present Minister of Education fly in the face of any legacy he may wish to have from Bill 78,” Barrett told assembled MPPs.  “This bill ignores the promise, the commitment, to bring forward that new funding formula to keep the schools open.”

“This particular minister promised a new transportation funding formula to keep the buses running, and he failed to deliver,” Barrett continued.  “He promised a new rural funding formula to keep our schools open. Again, he failed to deliver.”

Bill 78 is an omnibus ‘house cleaning’ education bill, covering a range of topics including reform of the College of Teachers, class sizes, eliminating teacher testing, and centralizing decision making in the Minister’s office.

“I do agree with Premier McGuinty's statement that he agrees that teachers should be tested,” Barrett asserted.  “My question now is, who got to McGuinty?”

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For more information, please contact
MPP Toby Barrett at: (416) 325-8404, (519) 428-0446, or 1-800-903-8629