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The organization representing superintendents
and directors inOntario's public school boards is speaking out about the
inadequacyof the government's special education funding model. Today,
theOntario Public Supervisory Officials' Association, released aposition
paper detailing the mismatch between funding and needsand offered help
to solve the priority issues.
Notes Frances McKenna, OPSOA president and superintendent withthe York
Region District School
Board, "The current funding model does not recognize or addressthe
current and growing needs of special education students. Ourmembers face
this mismatch daily, as needs and expectations ofparents and students
exceed the resources school districts cancommit. The model is seriously
flawed-and special education studentswill not be served by a band-aid
solution. They deserve better."
Says McKenna, "OPSOA believes ithas
a responsibility to influence the availability of appropriate
resources for the learning needs of all students. Though thereare many
parts of the overall funding model for education thatneed attention, fixing
the funding for Ontario's over 200,000special education students is a
priority, because special educationfunding impacts on all students."
Highlights McKenna, "As an organizationof
senior education officials, we felt the need to voice our
mounting concern with the disparity between funding and deliveryof special
education services within our boards individually-andwithin the province
collectively."
In the position paper, OPSOA identifies the following five keyconcerns:
· The Ministry of Education has never defined the expectationsregarding
service by boards to students
with special needs or the real cost of funding such service.
· The current funding model forspecial
education is seriously flawed.
· The current special education funding model does notrespond to
the current diversity of delivery
systems among the 72 school districts.
· The current funding model for special education requiresa major
overhaul so that it responds to
expressed principles and standards of delivery that are publiclyand professionally
acceptable.
· If the current model is maintained, then additional fundswill
be required to meet the legislative and
policy directions of the ministry.
"The government's contention that the special education fundingformula
provides adequate funds to meet the needs of special educationstudents
is simply not true," says Beverley Freedman, memberof OPSOA board
of directors with responsibility for special education,and superintendent
with the Durham District School Board, "Usingthe Ministry of Education's
own figures, school boards in Ontarioare spending over $100 million more
than the allocation for thisschool year. Boards are doing their best to
meet the needs ofsome of our most vulnerable children, but in doing so
are drawingmuch-needed funds from other parts of the budget. This only
underscoresthe inherent failure of the formula to match funds with needs.OPSOA
does not believe this can continue."
Continues Freedman, "This is notabout
an argument over numbers-this is about an erosion of services.
There are major groups of students with special needs who werepreviously
eligible but, due to the
changes in the model's identification criteria are no longer eligible.These
include students with behavioral, mild intellectual disabilitywith other
presenting factors, and learning disabled studentswithout ADHD. Beyond
this group, it doesn't take a financial expertto know that less money
and more students means less service perstudent. Nor does there seem to
be any connection between thefunding model and the kinds of programs needed
to address theneeds of special education students across the province."
Notes Terry Lynch, OPSOA past-president and director of educationof the
Simcoe County District
School Board, "The ministry has indicated that it will 'tinker'with
the formula. That is not enough.
Students deserve more than a band-aid solution. Instead, we seea need
for a serious look at fixing this
flawed model."
In the position paper, OPSOA commits to:
· assist staff in the Ministry of Education to developa funding
model for special education services that
will be more responsive to the reality of needs
· continue to collaborate jointly with Catholic and French-languagecolleagues
to serve as the ministry
would find helpful, to ensure that the needs of those distinctsystems
are included in any solution
· work with trustees, school councils, SEACs, parents andother
community partners to inform parents
of the changes to special education and their ramifications andto work
together to find solutions
Says Freedman, "Representatives from this organization havemet as
part of a consortium, through the
summer, with senior ministry officials. We are prepared to continueto
do so in an attempt to reach a
suitable resolution to a substantial mismatch so that the frustrationsof
school board professionals,
parents, the Minister's Advisory Committee on Special Education,trustees
and numerous stakeholder
groups in the education sector can be resolved. Boards need short-termrelief
to cope with growth and the increased demand on service.Boards need more
flexibility to respond to local needs. In thelong-term, the special education
framework needs to be reviewedand re-designed."
Concludes McKenna, "OPSOA wants the government to commitnow to restoring
the level of service for
special education students to at least the level of service committedby
the school boards in this province in 1997. Our students andtheir parents
deserve more than we can provide today."
The Ontario Public Supervisory Officials' Association representssuperintendents
and directors in public
district school boards in Ontario.
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