McGinty/Kennedy Caved Into Unions & School Boards

And this is just another of the failures of the education system. You have to wonder how the school boards will spend the money given to them for making schools safe.

ESL funds used to heat schoolsheStar.com - News - ESL funds used to heat schools

Cash-strapped Toronto board uses only half of language allocation to instruct newcomers

June 13, 2007

Kristin Rushowy
Education Reporter

The Toronto public school board receives $84 million for English as a second language, but spends only half of that on ESL programs.

Across Ontario, many boards are spending money tagged for ESL to heat and light schools or pay staff because it is one of the pots of money from the province that does not come with strings attached. The Peel public board spends 70 to 80 per cent of its ESL funds on ESL.

It's a situation one Toronto trustee calls "repugnant," and has prompted another to propose the board dedicate at least 75 per cent of its ESL money to teaching newcomers. "ESL is dear to my heart. I was an ESL child," said trustee Soo Wong, who emigrated from Hong Kong as a child in the early 1970s and will bring the ESL motion to the board tonight.

Despite pressure from parents and immigration advocates who want the province to force boards to spend all of the $219 million they receive for ESL on newcomer language instruction, a draft policy paper obtained by the Star shows it has no plans to do so.