By Pepper Parr
March 24th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
During the Program Accommodation Review (PAR) deliberations taking place at the Public School Board, and in the comments made by people in the Gazette, mention is often made of how the 1800 empty seat problem could be solved if the Catholics just moved into the public schools.
Words like that reflect a serious misunderstanding of the country’s culture and constitutional history. The existence of the Catholic schools is far more than culture and constitutionality. We asked former Halton Catholic District School Board chair Jane Michael to explain the reason we have Catholic schools. Here is what she had to say:
When my kids were growing up, I made it clear that to get anywhere in life, you had to set clear goals, have a very strong work ethic and you had to be honest. A very high value was placed on education. Coming from parents of immigrants, on both sides of my family, that value was instilled very early in life. In short, there were high expectations to work hard, learn and succeed.
We chose to send our children to Catholic school.
I have seen it written on many a wall –
Christ is the reason for this school. He is the unseen but ever present teacher in its classrooms. He is the model of its facility and the inspiration of its students.
St Anne Catholic elementary school in the Alton Village
In the Catholic schools, in addition to the teaching of the Ontario Curriculum, a routine of praying is included, a respect for God and for the Church as well as for oneself. The students embody multiculturalism. The educators are united in teaching from a moral compass.
There has been a growing discussion around a one school system. Still, all three political parties are on record as supporting the Catholic school system as an integral part of publicly funded education in Ontario. In particular, the discussion revolves around a one board system. This ignores the fact that Ontario has four overlapping school boards.
Catholic education is part of Ontario, rooted in history. In 1867, the British North America Act guaranteed the educational rights held by minorities at Confederation. I firmly believe that the solemn promise made at the time of Confederation should be kept. It is hard to ignore the wishes of 650,000 children. Ontario is offering publicly funded French schools, Art schools, gifted schools, plus AP/IB schools.
Catholics have paid for their own system and despite changes in funding, still do so today. Catholics are more than one-third of the province’s population, and if I add up Catholic school board supporters, I may say that we are self-funded, as opposed to publicly-funded. Catholic schools have maintained their place in Ontario’s public education system for almost 170 years. It is the Constitutional mandate of Catholic schools to provide Catholic education to Catholic students.
The Catholic school boards have the preferential right to hire Catholic teachers, committed to the goals of the Catholic school system This right is extended to publicly funded social welfare agencies. Catholic high schools admit non-Catholic students, providing open access. Catholic education has grown to include a supporting strong infrastructure of Catholic organizations. Ontario’s French language school system is also divided into public and Catholic. The French Catholic system is supported by French Catholic parents and ratepayers. Ontario Catholic school boards consistently meet or exceed provincial expectations.
My kids’ Catholic elementary and secondary schools were and are, deeply invested communities. Our community, one of warmth and faith, prepares the mind and the soul for the future. Teaching combined academic lessons with those on morals, and good behaviour, and is consistent with religious instruction throughout the whole year. For my family, that was the best of both worlds. Everyone goes through difficult times in life, and going to Catholic school and having faith is very important in order to survive these times.
Catholic education focuses on the entire child; their mental, physical and spiritual selves, as well as core values we have attempted to instill at home. Education is, and always be, a priority in my home, and the school reinforced the need to study and be decent human beings.
Having God in the school makes these kids grow into pretty great people. And, it’s not about being indoctrinated into any one religion. Catholic schools teach the kids to respect others and their religions as well. Catholic Boards mandate that students in Grade 11 study World Religion. When our kids came home from school, they told us of their experiences with the Church and school. I think it helps with behaviour once they know what God expects of them. They want to please God as well as others and they want their parents to be happy and proud of them. Understanding other groups and others’ beliefs is an important part of Catholic education’s teachings; respecting and affirming the diversity of today’s world.
Immersion in Catholic school culture, where religious themes are woven throughout classes and extracurricular activities each day made God a consistent presence and force in the lives of my kids and their classmates. I will always choose Catholic schools. Education is an intensely personal family choice. Historically, the education of our children was always conducted by family. That remains today. Kids spend the majority of their day in school. I will always look for what is in my family’s best interest.
Speaking to a high school graduation class, a graduate came up to me afterwards and said: “I didn’t really get it – why going to a Catholic school mattered so much. Now that I am about to leave, I know that God will always be with me, that He’ll always keep me safe, and He’ll help me whatever life has in mind for me. I’m not afraid anymore”.
It doesn’t get better than that.
Jane Michael is a former Chair of the Halton Catholic District School Board.
Beg to differ Ms Michael but by that line of thinking the public board is also self funded. It is all just directed tax money.
To Once Red Parent,
What I said was;
“Catholics have paid for their own system and despite changes in funding, still do so today. Catholics are more than one-third of the province’s population, and if I add up Catholic school board supporters, I may say that we are self-funded, as opposed to publicly-funded.” Yes, we get money from the Ministry on a per pupil basis, just as the public board does, but in my humble opinion, if you do the math, I believe we fund ourselves.
Sharon,
The HSTS (Halton School Transportation System) was not in place 13 yrs ago. Halton Catholic and Halton Public meet regularly to ensure we are saving every where we can. This is all noted above.
All I can say to all this is, the day has come to end the Catholic School Board. It is not a Board’s responsibility to teach religion. If you want to learn about the bible go to church. I always found it amusing the neighbors and friends I have that sent their children to Catholic school but NEVER went to church. They got all excited about First Communion but never went to church. I was raised Anglican and I was confirmed in the church. Went to confirmation classes at church.
As far as busing is concerned I used to be a bus driver 13 years ago and I know nothing has changed. Non Catholic and Catholic children are not on school buses together. The only sharing of a bus is a public school run is done and then a catholic.
Just a bit confused as to Ms Michael’s comment in this article that the Catholic Board is “self-funded”, with specific regards to another of her comments in a June 2015 article on InsideHalton when Ms Michael said “”The bishop is encouraging us as a board of trustees to stay united with the bishops. …. we need to move forward together for the good of unified Catholic education in the future. We need to preserve the future of publicly-funded Catholic education”.
So is it self-funded or is it publicly funded? Or does it depend on the issue?
John J.
At every opportunity, the Boards share whatever possible in order to save money. Staff meet quite regularly on many different aspects of the education of our children. They also meet with City Council, recognizing that all three are aligned in serving the community. I believe it makes sense for all to meet to discuss issues of common interest on a regular basis. In the past, this has been done infrequently and eac are trying to meet on a more regular basis.
Thank you for the response Jane,
But with all do respect, I am not sure a spirit of co-operation truly exists. First of all, the title of your article is “….Catholic schools and why they will never locate themselves into the Public school buildings”. Maybe it wasn’t intended in the way I read it, but that seems to be very firmly planted non-cooperative language. In fact, this title is what initially upset me and made me feel I should weigh in with my opinion. Also, recently the Minister of Education encouraged all four school boards to work together in light of school closures. But this Cooperation 100% is not happening (I don’t necessarily blame the Catholic board fully for that).
Lynn,
I believe you have missed some things in my 2 pieces. You say “to think that the Catholic Board won’t even concede to sharing a bus”… At your convenience, please read the paragraph that begins “In regards to bussing, there have long been busses shared by the two Boards……”. If there is something that hasn’t been answered above, I would be happy to give it a shot.
Thank you Jane. It is great to hear that the boards are sharing busses. It must also be nice that both the Catholic kids and Public kids spend time together on the bus. This no doubt helps create a community feel for those kids that get to share a bus ride (Or maybe the boards just share contracting to bus companies as opposed to the kids actually riding on the busses together. I wasn’t sure about this). Either way, it is very positive that the boards share the resources successfully. This is probably an indication that the two boards could share even more resources successfully. I am sure there are many ways to improve efficiencies beyond just the bussing..
No one religion is more valid than another; and no religion is more valid than not believing in any religion at all. To each his own. There isn’t one “right” one. Every good parent and every good school teaches morals. This is not something only taught through religion.
Since no other religions have their own publicly funded school systems, neither should the Catholic religion. We would have a far better school system and far less need for school closures if we abolished the Catholic system altogether. School and religion should be separate. To think that the Catholic board won’t even concede to sharing a bus or a building is pretty unbelievable.
Dear Jane Michael. Thank you for you opinion. In response I would like to quote someone, changing only a few words. It should make clear my feelings.
My kids Public elementary and secondary schools were and are, deeply invested in communities. Our community, one of warmth and faith, prepares the mind and soul for the future. Teaching combined academic lessons with those on morals, and good behaviour, and consistent with moral instruction throughout the whole year. For my family, that was the best of both worlds. Everyone goes through difficult times in life, and going to Public school and having faith is very important in order to survive these times.
Public education focuses on the entire child; their mental, physical and moral selves, as well as core values we have attempted to Instil at home. Education is, and always will be, a priority in my home, and the school reinforced the need to study and be decent human beings. Having morals in the school makes these kids grow into pretty great people.
It doesn’t get better than that.
Some further thoughts of mine……
I asked many of my Catholic friends (who attended Catholic school) when they were in church last. They said that It has been a while. If at all, the answer is generally, “at Christmas”. They have all lost that strong tie to church after leaving Catholic school. Yet they are good and moral people. As are my Public school friends. Contrary to what you may be thinking I am not against your religion or any other. But I also don’t need to be taught why your god Is the god. I need you to teach me through your daily actions about how being a good moral person is the right path. All religions teach morals. Let our communities pack our churches full. Let’s teach morals in our homes and in our churches and then fill the streets doing good. Taking action. Let’s not divide our communities by separating our children in schools that claim a moral high ground, as their own. The Catholic schools do not own goodness. They do not own morals. The Catholic school produces wonderful human beings along with some pretty flawed humans. The Public school produces wonderful human beings along with some pretty flawed humans.
“I do not believe in people telling others of their faith, especially with a view to conversion. Faith does not admit of telling. It has to be lived and then it becomes self-propagating.” Mahatma Gandhi
Dear Ms. Michael:
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I appreciate your comments.
I would reference the costings and proposals advanced by the Ontario Green Party during the last provincial election. They have long advocated for the amalgamation and sharing of resources between the school boards, and by their estimates the cost savings of merging Boards, facilities and other activities could equate to $4 billion annually. That’s a lot of schools that could be kept open, and a lot of children who, potentially, could have avoided being bused.
I will obviously defer to your knowledge around Catholic education and the components of the curriculum. I am certainly not qualified to offer an informed opinion. Suffice to say that I think there is still very real merit in considering increased sharing of resources and facilities. With education and health care costs in this country absorbing an increasing share of the provincial budget there is heightened economic pressure to maximize resource utilization on various levels. I still believe you can educate Catholic and non-Catholic children in the same building and still preserve the basic tenets of a Catholic education.
Thank you for taking the time to comment and respond.
Good evening, Mr. White,
With all due respect, there is a vast difference between public and Catholic education. Every class offered in a Catholic school is taught throughout the Catholic lens. Using Music as the example, one receives music as a gift from God, and that is what is communicated to the students. Perhaps the music lesson would be the Requiem Mass. A Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead is a Mass in the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is frequently, but not necessarily, celebrated in the context of a funeral. Musical settings of the propers of the Requiem Mass are also called Requiems, and the term has subsequently been applied to other musical compositions associated with death, dying, and mourning. The religion curriculum is woven into all subjects. The Catholic Board uses its own textbooks, for subjects outside of Religion, i.e. Social Studies, that are recommended for use or purchase by the Association of Canadian Catholic Bishops.
In regards to bussing, there have long been busses shared by the 2 Boards, and are today by the Halton Student Transportation Services. Up until last year, the Francophone Board was also involved in the sharing. That is fiscally responsible.
Education funding in Ontario is per-pupil based. This is the driver of costs and would not change under an amalgamated model. The only way to save money through amalgamation would be to close SEVERAL HUNDRED schools in Ontario. If schools were amalgamated and hundreds of schools closed, all Ontario students (across all systems) would be displaced. There is no indication that public school supporters would be prepared to move their children from the local public school in order to accommodate children living closer to a Catholic school or vice versa. There would be disruption and chaos in every community across this province.
The cost of amalgamation would far out-strip any savings. The last amalgamation in the education sector happened in 1998 and resulted in the province spending $1.2 billion in additional “transition” costs for that amalgamation (SOURCE: Ministry of Education).
Recent research from the University of Western Ontario (Timothy Cobban, 2014) shows that amalgamation does not save money.
Catholic and public boards save taxpayers millions of dollars annually through a variety of successful business partnerships in such areas as: co-operative school financing; purchasing; transportation; energy management and other shared services.
I invite further comments.
Ms. Michael presents a very articulate and well-reasoned synopsis of the value of a Catholic education system. She is, no doubt, very sincere and passionate in her beliefs and I applaud her for that. I grew up across the road from a Catholic school and church. Even a non-Catholic like me understands first-hand how important religion is in people’s lives, as well as the unique tenets and principles of the Catholic Church.
I’ll offer a couple of points in rebuttal. First, no one is suggesting in anyway that we compromise, diminish or erase the principles of Catholic education. Second, there is no question that a Catholic education is unique and should be preserved. Third, in a society that truly values diversity and inclusion sometimes we all need to make compromises in order to balance competing priorities.
What many of us are advocating is that financial necessity and budget considerations should dictate that when and if the situations warrant the public and Catholic school systems need to explore better sharing of resources. Honestly, what difference does it make if Catholic and non-Catholic children are taught in the same facility? They can still be taught in different classes if needs be….they would just share the same premises. Frankly, what is wrong with a bus that picks up Catholic and non-Catholic children, takes them to the same facility, and there they can go to their different classes? For that matter, why can’t they take some classes together such as music, or art, or phys. ed.? I understand the need for separate religious instruction but I’m not aware there is a Catholic and non-Catholic way of playing basketball or playing a musical instrument.
As a citizen the priority for me is ensuring that our young people receive a quality education that equips them for life’s challenges while ensuring they have the best combination of skills and aptitudes necessary to survive and thrive in the workplace while becoming fully contributing members of society. However, as a taxpayer and a businessman my focus is getting the best “bang for my buck” and ensuring we get value for our educational dollars. If, in order to balance quality education with financial prudence, we have to make some tweaks and compromises along the way then we should be prepared to do that.