Ever since I read on Facebook the comment about the foolishness of cutting funds to the Education Department of the Federal Government, I have been pondering the issue. The person who wrote the comment is a pleasant lady who I like very much, but I wanted to remind her of two things. First off is the fact that increased funding does not equate with high quality schools. The cost per student in DC is higher than any other school system in the nation. Secondly, the states are the responsibility of schools, not the federal government.
In Ontario, there are two school systems, both funded by taxpayers. Once a year, people can decide to send their tax dollars to the public school or the separate school. Parents are free to send the children to the Catholic Schools, called The Separate Schools or to the Public schools, which are non-denominational. So the parents have choices. In addition, most school systems offer other options, such as French inversion schools, or science and math schools, or schools for the arts. Of recent times, other groups have requested tex dollars be sent to other faiths, but to no avail. When we lived in Ontario I would often ask about the funding system but no one knew the answer. But when I read the biography of Sir John MacDonald, I got the answer. Two chapters dealt with the controversial policy, but the decision was made in the mid 19th Century and has never been changed.
Manitoba also funded the two different schools but that policy was changed in the 20th Century.
I recently read an interesting acticle in Commentary, which said that in the early 1800's, Protestant, Catholic and Jewish schools were funded by tax payers. But that did not last long. The emphasis of separation of church and state eliminated the policy of funding religious schools.
The funding of schools is complicated with a long history but as schools are critical to the success of the nation, we better get it right because we need only excellent schools.
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