School Magazine: Ontario Schools and the Structural Deficit – Looking Everywhere But at the Problem

School Magazine

The Ford government is, once again, pointing its finger in the wrong direction, blaming school boards for not getting by on less money to fund their operations. For years, boards have routinely been slipping deeper into the water as they beg the Ministry of Education to let them run annual deficits or spoon off their reserve funds to balance their budgets.

New Education Minister Paul Calandra is trying a get-tough approach, sending investigators into the cash-strapped Toronto, Toronto Catholic and Ottawa Carleton District School Boards to find out why they keep posting a structural deficit that has become part of their annual financial reckoning. It’s not a good look for Calandra as he watches the Ottawa Carleton DSB plan to cut teachers or the Toronto DSB get everyone’s attention by considering cuts to public use of swimming pools. Find another way of doing the Ministry’s bidding, he warns, or we’ll put you under supervision.