The Evolution of a Campaign, Fighting for Better Schools (From the General Secretary)
For many decades there has been a funding gap in Ontario’s education system. When school boards had some control over education spending they, like the provincial government, discriminated against elementary students and teachers by allocating more dollars per pupil to the secondary panel. When the provincial government took over full control of education funding, that discriminatory system continued. The roots of the problem likely lie with the different qualifications required of elementary teachers decades ago and the lack of understanding of the importance of the early years. Today neither still apply, yet the gap remains.
Although it has shrunk somewhat from the $1300 it was when the Liberals took power in 2003, the gap still amounts to $711 per pupil. Imagine the impact on our schools given the fact that there are 1.4 million elementary pupils in Ontario. Compare your school to a secondary school – that gap explains a lot.
Closing the gap will bring significant benefits to elementary students and their teachers: smaller class sizes in grades 4 to 8; more specialist teachers and teacher-librarians; better working conditions for teachers; better learning experiences for students. In short, better schools. In the long run it will also result in improved student performance in the high school years, because we know that the foundation for lifelong academic success is laid in elementary school.
Last winter ETFO decided to take on the funding gap and the inequity it represents for students and teachers. Our campaign began in February with billboards and print ads that told a positive story about the excellent work our members do with students and parents.
We waited for a response from the government, but none was forthcoming. We then increased the intensity of our campaign by directly drawing attention to the funding gap. We used three slogans: I have big dreams but I’m $711 short. How can I get ahead when I’m $711 behind? I can’t pronounce inequity but I can feel it.
Our billboards went up and we were ready to publish similarly themed newspaper ads and air radio and television commercials at the beginning of the school year. This time our message seemed to produce results. Going into the provincial election, the Liberal Party’s campaign platform promised to allocate funds to closing the gap in supports for elementary students. The Green Party also promised to eliminate the funding gap and we hoped that the New Democrats would follow suit.
The Conservative Party meanwhile promised to shift money – as much as $500 million – into private schools, undermining public education and making public education a major focus in the election campaign.
As a result of these developments we decided to shift our message into one designed to promote and protect public education. Our ads once again emphasized the importance of the work our mem- bers do and left viewers and listeners with the message “Ontario’s schools: Good and getting better.” Where do we go from here? The President’s column outlines our approach in the wake of the provincial election results. Without question we will continue our fight for equity in funding. We are committed to closing the gap.
