Inadequate Funding Leading to ‘Appalling’ Level of Disrepair in Ontario’s Schools

Scarborough’s deteriorating public schools have racked up over $1.1 billion in disrepair, data from the Ontario Ministry of Education has revealed. 
 

Of the schools in disrepair, Scarborough’s Sir Oliver Mowat tops the list, with needed repairs estimated at over $28.3 billion. The city’s D&M Thompson CI is not far behind, with the estimated cost of repairs reaching $27.7 million. 
 

Co-Founder of the Fix Our Schools Campaign Krista Wylie says the immense level of disrepair accumulating in Ontario’s publicly funded schools can be blamed on a severe lack of government funding, which currently only provides a mere fraction of what is needed to keep schools maintained.
 

“In 2015, Ontario’s Auditor-General confirmed that provincial funding for school repairs was grossly inadequate, providing only one-tenth or less of what it ought to have been according to industry standards,” says Wylie. 

As a parent and a voter, I am deeply disappointed that our provincial government has been so negligent in adequately funding the buildings where two million Ontario children spend their days.”
 

The level of disrepair in Ontario’s schools has taken a toll on students. Grade 11 student Sarah Dueck says her experiences in Ontario’s schools over the years has left her questioning the amount of care the government has for education in Ontario – or lack thereof. 
 

“During my twelve years as an Ontario student, I’ve experienced freezing cold classrooms, boiling hot classrooms, leaking ceilings and disgusting washrooms,” says Dueck. “It makes me wonder if the adults in charge really do value our education.”
 

Wylie says the upcoming provincial election in June will provide a real opportunity to bring priority and funding back to schools to stop their deterioration and restore a safe learning environment for students. Campaign for Public Education representative Stephen Seaborn agrees, adding that it’s time to enforce a province-wide standard.
 

“We need a province-wide Standard of Good Repair for schools and adequate provincial funding for school boards to meet those standards within a set timeline of four years,” says Seaborn. 
 

Fix Our Schools, founded in 2014, is a non-partisan, parent-led, Ontario-wide campaign focused on ensuring that every publicly funded school in the province is a safe, healthy, well-maintained building that provides an environment conducive to learning and working.    fixourschools.ca

Campaign for Public Education was founded in 2002 to coordinate efforts of parent, teacher, education worker and ethno-racial organizations in campaigning for needs-based funding for public education.