Trustees resigned to closing 23 pools
April 16, 2008
Louise Brown
EDUCATION REPORTER
If the Toronto school board votes tonight to give pink slips to 32 swim instructors, it will mark its most dramatic acceptance of Mike Harris's school funding formula.
Ten years after the former Conservative government stripped school boards of local taxing power and refused to pay for many programs those taxes used to fund, such as pools, many trustees seem weary of scrambling for ways to keep swimmers afloat.
With no financial lifeline coming from Queen's Park or City Hall, some trustees say they're resigned to closing 23 pools this June to save $4 million and send a signal to the province they're ready to cut costs and balance the books.
"It's good that parents are advocating for athletic opportunities for their children," board chair John Campbell said yesterday, "but if we don't balance our budget, the government will not hesitate to come in and balance it for us."
Premier Dalton McGuinty said the Toronto board should be focusing on children's achievement rather than swimming. "My greater concern with the TDSB is they used to rank 22nd in the province when it comes to student achievement and they've dropped to 44th. So what I'm asking myself is not so much related to school pools, it's what do I need to ensure that children in those schools are performing better academically?"
Campbell said even if it closes 23 of its 41 pools, the board will still face a $13 million deficit this year. Yet he noted the board spends only half as much as it should on English as a second language.
While there is still opposition to draining pools – two trustees will make motions tonight to rethink or at least delay the closings – many seemed poised to pull the plug.
"Look, my kids are at swimming lessons right now at a school pool; I know they're an important community asset, but the responsibility for them does not belong at this table – it belongs at City Hall, which has taxing power," trustee Howard Goodman said at last Thursday's planning and priorities committee meeting. "If the province or city steps up to the plate we can always reverse our decision, but I refuse to subsidize pools on the backs of other programs."
Campbell has been unable to persuade the city to pay more than the current $5 million to use 35 board pools for its own swim programs.
Education Minister Kathleen Wynne said the cost of pools should be shared by the board and the city.
"This board has 30,000 fewer students than it did in 2003 when we came into office and yet they've got $360 million more each year so I think the money is there. It's a matter of priorities," said Wynne, adding the board gets an extra $5.4 million for sports and arts programs.
Students rallied outside Queen's Park yesterday to push the province to help pay for school pools.
With files from Rob Ferguson
Toronto Star
http://parentcentral.ca/parent/article/414995
