Toronto school fundraising raises questions about equity in public-education system
2014/11/04 1 Comment
Given that one of Canada’s strength in education, as measured by the OECD’s PISA studies, is with respect to equity in education, the funding disparity suggests that this may diminish over time:
Schools in Toronto’s most affluent neighbourhoods are fundraising 300 times more money per student than needier schools, using the cash for field trips and playground renovations and raising questions about equity in the public-education system.
Fundraising figures for elementary schools provided by the Toronto District School Board and analyzed by The Globe and Mail found that children in those affluent neighbourhoods are getting almost as much as $900 each in educational extras, from new playgrounds to Scientists in Schools. The money is raised through events such as fun fairs and pizza lunches. Some schools in lower-income neighbourhoods raise as little as $3 a student.
Canada’s largest school board provides special grants to schools in high-needs communities to help compensate for the vast differences.
But it still cannot catch up to the hundreds of thousands of dollars schools in the city’s richest neighbourhoods raise. Blythwood Junior Public School, situated around Mount Pleasant Road and Lawrence Avenue East, a wealthy neighbourhood, raised almost $700 a student in the 2012-13 academic year. Thorncliffe Park Public School, located in an area that serves as a landing pad for recent immigrants, raised about $45.
The board can’t afford to fully make up the differences, according to Carla Kisko, associate director of the TDSB. “It’s a serious concern because there are significant differences between communities,” she said.
Certainly nothing like the US system, where much of school funding is by neighbourhood in contrast to the block funding in Canada, but still something to watch.
About Andrew
Multicultural Meanderings 
Yes, I have always thought it was unfair to have our schools depend on fundraising because it is so hard for poor families to contribute. $20 may be pocket change for wealthier people but it can be a major expense for people at the lower end of incomes: the “pizza day” expense often comes out of the scant grocery money left after the rent and utilities are paid. If we, as a society, truly believe in education for all we should be prepared to pay sufficient taxes to ensure that proper funding for schools is in place. That should include food programs (i.e. via the local Health Unit) to ensure that all students have the necessary nutrition to be successful at school.