June 9, 2006 Highlights

On this page:

1. Education Grants
2. Additional Funding for Special Education
3. Bill Introduced to Assist Foreign-Trained Professionals
4. Teacher Federations Receive Ministry Funds for PD
5. Human Rights Bill Referred for Public Hearings

1. Education Grants

School boards have had to wait longer than ever this year to receive the details of the provincial funding they’ll get for the upcoming school year. The delay causes considerable problems for planning, including staffing for 2006-07. Boards have, for the most part, refrained from publicly complaining about the delay. They may be anticipating positive news with respect to the Ministry addressing some of the longstanding structural problems with the education funding formula.

On June 8, NDP Education Critic Rosario Marchese pressed the Education Minister about the delay in grants. Minister Pupatello replied:

“What I am telling you is that since 1998, several years through a Conservative government, we suffered with a very difficult formula… “I am, on the other hand, relying on some very tremendous support in my caucus for some very significant changes that are coming to our formula. I will say to the leaders in education across this province that $2 billion of investment is significant and it is historic…"

“So let me say this: In this new grant round we are going to have support for lower class sizes from JK to 3, more support for student success. We are going to see support for literacy and numeracy to go way up like we expect them to.”

The Minister issued a news release later in the day to indicate the grants would be announced on Monday, June 12.

2. Additional Funding for Special Education

On June 8, Education Minister Sandra Pupatello announced the government was committing $50 million to address special education issues. Of that allocation, $25 million will support professional development related to special needs students provided by the Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE), $20 million will assist the Ontario Psychological Association work with school boards to reduce waiting times for student assessment, and $5 million will go the Geneva Centre for Autism to train educational assistants work with autistic students.

The government is also implementing a number of the recommendations of the Working Table on Special Education Reform, representing stakeholders who participate in the Ministry’s Partnership Table. The Ministry is committed to streamlining the assessment process to identify students with special needs; reinforcing the connection between a student’s Individual Education Plan and the curriculum and report card; establishing, on a pilot basis, a special education program and financial review to assess program and “resource efficiency”; establishing a reference group on autism disorder to advise the Ministry; and requiring school boards to develop informal dispute resolution processes for issues related to special education programs and resources.

In responding to the announcement, both Opposition parties criticized the failure of the government to follow through with the pre-election commitment to fund Intensive Behaviour Intervention (IBI) treatment for autistic children over the age of six. NDP MPP Michael Prue also charged that the government won’t be able to address special education needs until it responds to the overall problem of under-funding.

3. Bill Introduced to Assist Foreign-Trained Professionals

On June 8, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Mike Colle introduced a bill to govern how the regulated professions improve access to foreign-trained professionals. The legislation proposes to establish a Fair Registration Practices Commissioner who would assess the registration practices of the regulated professions and ensure their respective accreditation processes are fair and timely. Colleges, like the Ontario College of Teachers, will be required, if the legislation passes, to provide annual reports on their admission procedures and be subject to audits by the Fairness Commissioner every three years.

The bill also proposes to establish a new Access Centre for Internationally Trained Individuals to provide information and referrals and to link foreign-trained professionals to mentoring and internship opportunities. Loans of up to $5,000 per person will also be available to assist foreign-trained professionals cover the costs of assessment, training, and exams.

4. Teacher Federations Receive Ministry Funds for PD

On June 5, Education Minister Sandra Pupatello issued a news release announcing the $23 million government funding provided to the provincial teacher federations to support teacher professional development. The funding ETFO receives will support an expanded summer institute program of teacher professional development workshops, a new program for kindergarten teachers, and other professional development to be offered over the next two years.

5. Human Rights Bill Referred for Public Hearings

On June 6, Bill 107, the legislation that proposes major changes to the provincial human rights complaints process, received Second Reading. It was referred to the Standing Committee on Justice Policy that will hold province-wide public hearings over the summer.