This is the letter I sent to Brad Wall yesterday, copied to Rod Gantefoer and Don McMorris:
Dear Brad:
I am sure that you are fully aware that hundreds of rural residents are hopping mad about the fact that they are facing the closure of their schools.
Under two separate e-mail messages, I will send you two columns I wrote for the Leader Post on January 25th and February 20th. I urge you to read them both.
The second of these was published in the paper only two days ago. For the last two days I have received more phone calls than I think the average MLA would receive in that space of time. Rural residents are looking for help in this fight, and are turning to me.
Brad - this is your job. Don's office sent me the news release from Rod Gantefoer and, frankly, it is a "cop-out". Rural Saskatchewan is your voter base. Without us, you will never become the premier of this province - so you need to be much more aggressive on this issue.
The NDP created these monster school divisions which no-one wanted, except perhaps the directors of education, who saw opportunities for empire building. The result has been a horrendous growth in educational administration, which is a serious misuse of education property taxes.
The NDP gutted the health care system. Now they are sitting idly by while the school boards do the same to education in this province.
When all the rural schools are closed and there are no educational facilities left within daily travel distance, I can see a future when, if there are any families left in rural Saskatchewan, their children will be compelled to attend state-run boarding schools.
There has to be a promise from you that your government will provide other options. What would be wrong with allowing communities to opt out of these huge school divisions, and return to a status similar to the former consolidated school districts? (see my comments regarding Wilcox, in my second column).
Or - what about a grant for home -schooling, or a reduction for those parents in their education taxes?
The main problem here, however, is the philosophy of this government that bigger is better. School boards have become so powerful that they no longer pay any heed to the wishes of those who foot the education bill.
You are scheduled to speak to SARM delegates on March 13th. These are all rural people and the strength of your support. This will be a perfect opportunity for you to encourage them in their fight to preserve what is left of rural Saskatchewan.
Sincerely,
Christine Whitaker.
2 comments:
If you take the Prairie South School Division which surrounds Moose Jaw, it is made up of 79 Rural and Small Urban municipalities and 1 large Urban city. When you breakdown the tax revenue from the assessment and add in the Sask Learning Operating Grant you get the following facts:
Moose Jaw Urban schools are approxiamately on a 50/50 split with funding from Governemnt Funding and Rate Payer Taxes.
The 79 Rural and Small Urbans are 100% funded by Rate Payer Taxes. All the Sask Learning Operating K-12 grant goes directly into the Moose Jaw Schools. In addition, the 79 Rural and Small Urbans contribute another $5.5 million into Moose Jaw Urban.
Rural and Smaller Urbans municipalities need the same tax ratio split as the large Urbans are all receiving. They are subsidizing the large Urban school with the Province and it is not right.
The Provincial Government is also taking away Operating grant monies from all Rural School Division with decling enrolment. PSSD lost $2.93 million with a decline of 386 students or an average of $7,591 per student. BUT if you combine Regina and Sasktoon Public and Seperate School Divisons, they had a decline of 1,362 students and had an increase in the Operating grant of $18.7 million for an average gain of $13,730 per student! An outrageous difference of over $21,000 per student funding for loss of enrolment between the 2 large Urban School Divisions our our Prairie South School Division. PSSD lost $2.93 million on operating but if treated the same as Regian and Saskatoon the would have received $5.30 million... a difference of $8.23 million dollars!!!!!!!
Where is the equity in the Sask Learning Operating Grant? It was explained at all 6 School meetings in the PSSD that when School Divisions have a decline in enrolment, that the Operating grant will be reduced! This in fact is not true as some large Urban divisions get a preferred treatment from the Provincial Goverment and Sask Learning.
If there was ever a time to draw a line in the sand and take a stand, I believe that time is now for the "Rural"School divisions to take a stand and demand equal status with the large Urban School Divisions. Rate Payers, Parents, Business, Local School Community Councils and Division Boards must work together to put the greatest amount of pressure on the Government and the Opposition to rectify the great imbalance of Provincial Funding to the K-12 school system in Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan has the worst ratio for K-12 School funding in all of Canada and the USA! Shame!
I urge all people to contact your Community Council members, Division Board members, Municipal Councilors, your MLA, Minister of Sask. Learning and the Premier to state your concern of the lack of funding for our K-12 school system.
David Gleim - Chaplin, SK
If anyone would like me to send a copy of the old grant zones map, let me know.
Denise Toeckes
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