Ford’s roadmap for cuts recommends funnelling public money to private schools

NDP Education Critic Marit Stiles is sounding the alarm over recommendations buried in the Doug Ford’s review of government spending that would devastate Ontario’s public education system by using public dollars to subsidize private education.

“It’s right there in black and white,” said Stiles. “This government paid nearly $100,000 for a report that justifies their agenda of cuts and privatization – and it makes it clear American-style education could be on its way to Ontario.”

The report recommends that Ontario move to “alternate arrangements for funding” for education, including “providing funding to individuals, who can then choose their service providers through a form of market activity.”

That system is similar to the American system, where public money often is siphoned away from public education and given to private schools. Under that failed system, public schools are often devastatingly poor and offer students far less opportunity.

“Parents, students and educators are already struggling to cope with the impact of decades of underfunding,” Stiles said. “Skimming off precious public dollars to hand over to elite private schools would gut our education system, and divide kids by income and region.”

“I’m calling on the Minister of Education and the Ford government to come clean about their plans for public education, and to clearly reject the risky privatization experiments outlined in their report.”