Gerard Kennedy, Minister of Education Statement - 2005-05-02 at 07:56
Results for Ontario students: Schools are better this year
May 2, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the many schools across Ontario that are celebrating Education Week. There is a great deal to celebrate this year, and I encourage all of my colleagues to see for themselves what is happening in our schools.
Mr. Speaker, it has been 34 years since the average MPP has been a student – and a lot has changed since then. Once again, as I have for the past five years, I am issuing a non-partisan challenge to all members of this House, by encouraging them to reconnect with Ontario's students, teachers, education workers and principals by spending a full day back in the classroom this month.
As a government, we have worked relentlessly to help all students get the education they deserve. Our partnership approach has paved the way for an environment of peace and stability – a necessity if we are to achieve our shared goals for students.
Mr. Speaker, if members decide to visit an elementary school this year, they may see the results of our $90-million investment to help bring down the average class size in junior kindergarten to Grade 3. They might meet one of the 1,100 new primary teachers who were hired through that funding. Students in approximately 1,300 elementary schools – that's one in three schools – are feeling the difference.
I met a Grade 3 teacher and her students this morning when I visited Indian Road Crescent Junior Public School. The school hired a new teacher with the funding we provided to reduce class sizes. Without our investment, the school estimates there would have been 32 students in that Grade 3 classroom this year. Instead, there are only 23. That's a result we can all be proud of, and one that is repeated in school after school across Ontario.
Mr. Speaker, we have also focused on providing our high school students with more opportunities to succeed. We recognized the need for a new consolidated program to lower dropout rates in Ontario high schools. That's why, last June, we announced an additional $100 million to fix curriculum issues, improve technological education programs and provide other alternatives for struggling students.
For example, 3,000 secondary students across Ontario are benefiting from more than 105 innovative projects – funded through an additional $18-million investment – designed to provide them with new opportunities for success in school.
In the Honourable Jim Watson's riding, the member for Ottawa West-Nepean, the 11 students enrolled in Ridgemont High School's renovation project took on the task of completely renovating a house. A Grade 12 student enrolled in the program said it used to be a struggle for him to get up in the morning to go to school. But, now he is excited about the work ahead. I met him when I travelled to Ottawa to visit the project myself. He said: "When I see the completed house that I worked on, I will feel more satisfaction than I ever have with a book of notes." That change in attitude is something we can all be proud of.
Schools across Ontario are now more accessible to community groups. Last July, we provided $20 million to school boards to open up our schools, creating community hubs where all Ontarians can learn and grow.
As a result, non-profit community groups that run activities for children and youth no longer have to pay rental fees to the Limestone District School Board. Minister Dombrowsky, the member representing Hastings-Frontenac-Lennox-Addington, and Minister Gerretsen, the member for Kingston and the Islands, and Mr. Sterling, the member for Lanark-Carleton, may see the results when they visit schools in their communities. Schools will be available to community groups for 7,000 more hours a year. That's 3,500 more basketball games or 5,000 Brownie meetings – a significant result for local students, parents and members of the community.
The McGuinty government believes that all Ontario students, including those in small, rural communities, should have an equal opportunity for a quality education. By investing $31 million to keep good schools open, 1,149 rural schools will benefit. The St. Clair Catholic District School Board has hired full-time secretaries at 19 of their schools and recommends that 15 elementary schools be assigned a full-time principal, instead of part-time.
I encourage my colleagues – the member for Chatham-Kent-Essex Pat Hoy, the member for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex Maria Van Bommel and the member for Sarnia-Lambton Caroline Di Cocco to spend some time with one of those secretaries when they spend a day in school this spring. If they do, they'll hear what a difference a full-time secretary makes to a school and its students.
Mr. Speaker, these are just some of the results of our education investment. And clearly, there is much more that needs to be done. Our government firmly believes that excellence in public education is critical to our students' and province's future. And we will continue to invest wisely in Ontario's publicly funded system.
By going back to the classroom, we can all reconnect with teachers and students and see the McGuinty government's investment at work producing results. Constituency week is just around the corner, so the timing couldn't be better.
Smaller class sizes. Resources and respect for teachers. More opportunities for high school students. Peace and stability in our schools.
