Toronto’s public school board will look at — and make public — how all the cuts proposed in the city budget to school pools, parks and recreation, and nutrition programs will negatively impact kids.
“People of this city will not tolerate this assault on children’s programming any more than they were willing to tolerate an assault on libraries,” said longtime trustee and former chair Sheila Ward at a committee meeting Monday night.
Toronto District School Board chair Chris Bolton said it’s important to get “facts and figures out there” so that communities know exactly how and how many kids such cuts will affect.
Under a proposed budget, the city is looking at eliminating programming at seven of the 33 school pools it operates, as well as after-school programming at 12 sites and support for school nutrition programs.
Bolton said the board has requested three spots at this week’s city budget hearings so it may address each issue.
Several trustees at Monday’s committee meeting said more must be done to urge the city to reconsider. Trustees were urged to reach out to local councillors — especially seven councillors whom they didn’t name whose votes they feel can be swayed.
Should the city go ahead with cuts, it puts the board in a difficult situation, Bolton said.
“With the pools in particular, their budget starts April 1 and ours starts Sept. 1. We are going to have a gap of at least three months.”
However, he said the verdict isn’t yet in, citing Mayor Rob Ford’s support for recreation programs, particularly football, in schools.
Given Ford’s stated commitment to youth programs, Bolton is hopeful they will be spared. “These are not the kinds of (cuts) he would believe in.”
The final city budget will not be voted on until the new year.
Origin
Source: Toronto Star
“People of this city will not tolerate this assault on children’s programming any more than they were willing to tolerate an assault on libraries,” said longtime trustee and former chair Sheila Ward at a committee meeting Monday night.
Toronto District School Board chair Chris Bolton said it’s important to get “facts and figures out there” so that communities know exactly how and how many kids such cuts will affect.
Under a proposed budget, the city is looking at eliminating programming at seven of the 33 school pools it operates, as well as after-school programming at 12 sites and support for school nutrition programs.
Bolton said the board has requested three spots at this week’s city budget hearings so it may address each issue.
Several trustees at Monday’s committee meeting said more must be done to urge the city to reconsider. Trustees were urged to reach out to local councillors — especially seven councillors whom they didn’t name whose votes they feel can be swayed.
Should the city go ahead with cuts, it puts the board in a difficult situation, Bolton said.
“With the pools in particular, their budget starts April 1 and ours starts Sept. 1. We are going to have a gap of at least three months.”
However, he said the verdict isn’t yet in, citing Mayor Rob Ford’s support for recreation programs, particularly football, in schools.
Given Ford’s stated commitment to youth programs, Bolton is hopeful they will be spared. “These are not the kinds of (cuts) he would believe in.”
The final city budget will not be voted on until the new year.
Origin
Source: Toronto Star
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