McGuinty to confront legacy of broken promises as he heads back to school
TORONTO, Sept. 4 /CNW/ - Ontario deserves better than "the dog ate my promises" but that's exactly what they'll get when Dalton McGuinty heads to Oakwood Public School in Oakville today.
In 2002, Dalton McGuinty promised the students, parents, and teachers of Ontario that there would be a hard-cap on class sizes for JK to Grade 3 classes. But what Dalton McGuinty didn't tell Ontario was that this would result in more split grades for Ontario's students.
For example, in 2004-2005, the Oakwood Public School had nine classes for JK to Grade 3. While four had more than 20 students (max. 23) there was not one split grade.
Just a couple of years later, in 2006-2007, (the last year for which statistics are available) Oakwood Public School has achieved the hard cap but there are three split grade classes - a JK-SK class, a grade 1-2 class, and a grade 2-3 class.
As Annie Kidder, executive director of People for Education and a former supporter of Dalton McGuinty's class size promise said in a recent National Post article, "...what is important to realize about smaller class size ... is what you win and what you lose.
"I think that I would question whether or not the cost was totally worth it in trying to do it this quickly," she said. "There are things that benefit all children in a school, such as access to a teacher-librarian ... which we know improves literacy scores."
And let's not forget one of Dalton McGuinty's biggest broken promises in education.
Currently, fewer than two-thirds of students in Ontario are meeting the standards for province-wide testing. In 2002, Dalton McGuinty promised Ontario that 75% of students would meet or exceed the provincial standard on province-wide tests within the first mandate. "That's a guarantee," he said."If we fail to deliver on that guarantee, I expect every member of the media, and every voter to hold me accountable, come the next election."
Leadership Matters.
For further information: Mike Van Soelen, (647) 722-1760
