Education

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.” [Read More]

April 3, 2006 - EDUCATION STATUTE LAW AMENDMENT ACT, 2006

Mr. Toby Barrett (Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant): I found the presentation by the member from Oak Ridges captivating. I say that as a former secondary school teacher and a former member of OSSTF.

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. This particular minister promised a new transportation funding formula to keep the buses running, and he failed to deliver. He promised a new rural funding formula to keep our schools open. Again, he failed to deliver. As a former teacher, granted, I will give this minister an A for announcement, but I give him a D for delivery. [Read More]

December 12, 2005 - RURAL STUDENT SUCCESS PROGRAM

Mr. Toby Barrett (Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant): To the Minister of Education: For two and a half years, various citizens groups, coalitions across the province, have been writing letters to you as education minister, pleading with you to keep high schools open. The question remains, is this all for naught? There are 144 rural high schools across Ontario. This course program helps 25 or so high schools. The question remains, what about the others? What about those schools that are threatened with closure? I sincerely hope they will remain open in the future. [Read More]

October 01, 2004 -What’s the future for Ontario’s rural schools?

As MPP for this rural riding of Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant, I have been consistent in my efforts to have government and school boards address the many challenges faced by rural schools.

Having just returned from Finance Committee hearings on James Bay, I can also report that things aren’t better in the single-school communities of the North. The Attawapiskat school is shut down because of diesel contamination – putting everyone in portables – and this Fall has seen a mass exodus of 30 per cent of families from Fort Severn after mould contamination closed the doors to their only school. [Read more]

September 29, 2004 - What’s the future for Ontario’s rural schools?

As MPP for this rural riding of Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant, I have been consistent in my efforts to have government and school boards address the many challenges faced by rural schools. [Read more]