For Immediate Release                                                         

September 9, 2005

KINGSTON AND THE ISLANDS STUDENTS GET NEW TEXTBOOKS AND LIBRARY BOOKS FOR START OF SCHOOL YEAR

KINGSTON - New textbooks and other learning resources are replacing worn, outdated texts and new library books are stocking Kingston area school shelves thanks to a $61-million investment of the McGuinty government, local MPP John Gerretsen announced today.

Today’s announcement is an investment in the future of Kingston’s elementary and secondary school children, said Gerretsen. “This funding will help ensure that our local school boards can provide their students with the best possible resources to succeed.”

The funding breakdown is as follows:

Limestone District School Board                                               $715,900

Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Bchool Board   $421,062

CSD des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario                           $356,926

CSD catholique du Centre-Est de l'Ontario                                 $535,090

Premier Dalton McGuinty and Education Minister Gerard Kennedy repeated their call for Ontarians to visit local schools to become more knowledgeable about local education challenges and to see education investments making a difference in the classroom.  Among items to look for are new books, new repairs, specialist teachers, smaller class sizes and stability created through long-term labour settlements.

The McGuinty government has increased its overall funding to education by $840 million for this school year.  The $61 million in new funding will provide textbooks, other classroom learning resources and library books.  This is the first time in many years that an Ontario government has invested directly in the purchase of new library books.

“Our government has set a measurable target for improvement for the first time in our province: three-quarters of students will reach the provincial standard on reading, writing and math tests within four years, up from the just over one-half doing so when we took office,” said Gerretsen.  “Part of getting there is putting the resources in place to help students succeed, and now you can see that right here in Kingston.”

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