• Maintaining investment in publicly funded education to maximize our potential for growth; resist cutting or overhauling a system that continues to improve.
• Proceed with the implementation of the full-day Kindergarten program, delivered by certified teachers, to fully realize its short and longer-term economic benefits.
• Continue to implement the recommendations of the Safe Schools Action Team; including embedding anti-bullying strategies into the school curriculum and providing more anti-bullying training for students, teachers and parents.
• Follow through with the Social Assistance Review and continue to implement a poverty reduction strategy, particularly with the goal of eliminating child poverty.

We encourage you to remain engaged in the conversation about the importance of a strong publicly funded education system. After all, who speaks for children? We all do.

This campaign was initiated by the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA). More information about OECTA can be found here: www.oecta.on.ca.

With polls showing a very close election campaign – the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives are neck and neck and the NDP are also competitive – the views of each party and each candidate on publicly funded education and child poverty are becoming increasingly relevant. The party leaders debate scheduled for Tuesday, September 27th will provide one showcase for such a discussion. But there are other opportunities including all candidates debates organized in communities across the province and asking candidates who knock on your door where they stand on the Speak for Children campaign priorities.

There has been good progress on publicly funded education over the past eight years. The latest edition of the international magazine The Economist includes a story that refers to Ontario as “one of the world’s best-performing schools systems”. Ontario’s economy depends on government maintaining and building on that momentum. It is prudent that we elect the candidate in each riding most willing and able to carry out this task.

That there is apparent political and media consensus that publicly funded education is on the right track does not mean we should be complacent. We have seen in the past how positive developments can be rolled back, progressive change put on hold, with the result being Ontario children falling behind. We cannot afford to let that happen. Please continue to Speak for Children during this campaign. Ask your candidates exactly where they stand on recent reforms and what they propose to do to reduce child poverty and continue to build a strong publicly funded education system for Ontario.

In fairness, we are still in the middle of a long, hot summer when few people are paying close attention to education issues, let alone politics. Still, it’s telling that none of the major political parties have chosen to talk about their ideas for publicly funded education in any meaningful way. Perhaps this is an indication that they all agree that Ontario’s publicly funded education system is on the right track.

But even if that were true, Ontario’s students will not continue to succeed if the system stands pat. There is still much to be done. Lifting children out of poverty – so they can concentrate on learning and not their hungry bellies – is still an important item on Ontario’s to-do list if we are going to provide every student with an opportunity to succeed. Ensuring the successful roll-out of full-day kindergarten is another important initiative that should be a priority to all political parties. Continuing to invest strategically in schools, students and teachers is also key to ensuring Ontario can reach its full potential.

Speak for Children has released a number of facts about the current system and ideas for making it even better. This is a discussion Ontarians deserve to have, and want to have.

Candidates, are you listening?

As we emerge from the global economic downturn, the province is facing a number of fiscal, and social, challenges. Ontario has weathered the storm better than many other jurisdictions in large part because of the significant investments the current government has made in public services. Chief among them has been a commitment to building a strong publicly funded education system backed by social investments in children.

Today, Ontario’s publicly funded education system is among the highest regarded in the world. New schools have been built and others upgraded. Student achievement is on the rise. Teachers are well supported and there have been zero school days lost to lockouts or strikes.

But less than a decade ago publicly funded education in Ontario was marred by high dropout rates, crumbling schools, an absence of critical student resources and demoralized and unsupported teachers.

Other jurisdictions in North America seem intent on replicating failed strategies of funding cuts to publicly financed schools and social services and firing teachers.

It is important that the province not turn back the clock on the progress that has been made in publicly funded education or choose to follow the destructive path of other jurisdictions. Ontario must continue to build on our first class publicly funded education system that has become the envy of much of the world. Electing a pro-publicly funded education government that is committed to investments in children on October 6th is essential if that progress is to continue.

The Speak for Children campaign has four priorities that it will be advancing over the course of the election and seeking support on from political parties and candidates:

• Maintain investment in publicly funded education to maximize our potential for growth; resist cutting or overhauling a system that continues to improve.
• Proceed with the implementation of the full-day Kindergarten program, delivered by certified teachers, to fully realize its short and longer-term economic benefits.
• Continue to implement the recommendations of the Safe Schools Action Team; including embedding anti-bullying strategies into the school curriculum and providing more anti-bullying training for students, teachers and parents.
• Follow through with the Social Assistance Review and continue to implement a poverty reduction strategy, particularly with the goal of eliminating child poverty.

We encourage you to join our campaign to ensure a strong, pro-publicly funded education government is elected on October 6th. After all, who speaks for children? You do.

This campaign was initiated by the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA). More information about OECTA can be found here: www.oecta.on.ca.