Ontario: Province cuts French-language instruction funds

[Harold Schiffman]

Province cuts French-language instruction funds
Posted By THE CANADIAN PRESS
Updated 1 day ago


The province is cutting funding to most private schools for
French-language instruction. Critics are linking the move to fallout
from the election campaign. Those in the field say new rules leave few
independent schools -- and no religious ones -- eligible for the
funds. The changes restrict the grants to private high schools that
spend one-quarter of their classroom time teaching in French.
Elementary schools will no longer be eligible.

The new rules will be implemented in September. During the most recent
academic year, 230 private schools were eligible for grants ranging
from $500 to $157,000. The money that would have gone to the
now-disqualified schools will be redistributed to those, both public
and private, that can still receive the funds. Independent schools see
the new rules as petty, noting the federal grants, now administered by
the province, have been available since 1970. It looks suspiciously
political," said John Vanasselt, spokesman for the Ontario Alliance of
Christian Schools.

Some religious school advocates believe the Liberals are punishing
them for supporting Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader John
Tory's controversial election campaign pledge to finance the
province's religious schools. Widespread opposition to the policy
helped Premier Dalton McGuinty win a second majority last October.



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