For Immediate Release                                                            

June 13, 2006

McGUINTY GOVERNMENT INVESTS AN ADDITIONAL $8.7 MILLION IN KINGSTON AREA SCHOOL BOARDS TO BOOST STUDENT PROGRESS
McGuinty Government Taking Giant Step Forward in Transforming the Funding Formula, Providing Greater Accountability, Simplicity, Clarity and Transparency

KINGSTON — For the third year in a row, the McGuinty government is boosting its investment in Ontario’s publicly funded schools to support continued improvement for the province’s two million students, announced MPP John Gerretsen today on behalf of Minister of Education Sandra Pupatello.

“Today’s investment will go a long way to ensuring that in the Kingston community primary class sizes keep shrinking, reading, writing and math achievement keeps improving, and more high school students graduate, said Gerretsen. “That’s why our government is investing an additional $8.7 million in both the Limestone and Algonquin District School Boards, bringing the provincial contribution to an additional $600 million this year — for a total of $17.5 billion.”

On June 12, Education Minister Sandra Pupatello announced that the increased investment would support key government targets for higher student achievement, including seeing 75 per cent of 12-year-olds achieving the provincial standard in reading, writing and math by 2008, as well as 85 per cent of high school students graduating by 2010. 

Specific funding to support these priorities includes:

• $95 million for 1,200 more primary teachers so our youngest students benefit from more individual attention
• $71 million for 980 new specialist teachers at the elementary level in areas such as music, phys-ed and the arts
• $19 million for 300 more student success teachers to help struggling high school students
• $10 million in additional support for French-language boards
• $500 million for repairs and renovations for our schools.

The Limestone District School Board will receive $195,109,778 and the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic School Board will receive $112,738,832.

In addition the CSD Catholique du Centre-Est de I’Ontario will receive $170,519,029 and the CSD des ecoles publiques de l’Est de I’Ontario $117,795,191 in funding.
“Our commitment to an outstanding publicly funded education system remains unwavering,” said Pupatello.  “Class sizes in the early grades are shrinking and achievement by Ontario students is on the rise.  Our government’s investment will support even more progress on these fronts next year.”

The McGuinty government is also reforming the education funding model to increase transparency and accountability.  Changes announced today mean that Ontarians will be able to see exactly how the government’s investment directly benefits students.  The new funding model will also provide targeted funding towards principals and vice-principals, secretaries and school supplies for every school across the province, no matter how small.  And for the first time in almost a decade, it will target funding for teacher salaries that reflects actual costs.

In 2004-05, an average of 62 per cent of Ontario students met or exceeded the provincial standard in reading, writing and math, up from the average of 54 per cent who achieved that level in 2002-03.  High school graduation rates also rose to 71 per cent, up from 68 per cent.

Next September will mark the third full year of the government’s extraordinary four-year funding increase for Ontario's publicly funded schools.  As announced in the 2006 Ontario Budget in March, there will also be $200 million more in 2006-07 outside the Grants for Student Needs that will target improved literacy and math levels, French-language programs, professional development for teachers and principals, Student Success initiatives, parent engagement and safe and healthy schools.  Since coming to office, the McGuinty government has increased per pupil funding by almost $1,600 — an increase of 21 per cent.n addition to the June 12 announcement, the minister recently announced a new approach to special education that would provide $50 million more support for students.  The minister also announced reforms that would streamline the way special education programs are delivered, and change our evaluation methods to improve outcomes for the students who deserve our greatest attention.  An additional $23 million was also announced to the Ontario Teachers' Federation, Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association, Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens, Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, as well as to boards to help them offer Ontario teachers more professional development.

“The bigger investment we make in education, the bigger responsibility we have to the people of Ontario,” said Pupatello.  “Parents and everyone involved in education need to know how our education dollars are being spent and how that money is benefiting our students.”

- 30 -

Contact: John Gerretsen, MPP
(613) 547-2385