As expected and referenced below, the Ministry of Education released its fee guidelines (still in draft!) on its website Friday. I am disappointed the document the news release pointed to Friday isn't dramatically different (or really that different at all) from the draft guidelines released and posted by the London Free Press at the conclusion of its 2009-10 'Classroom Cash' series written by Kelly Pedro and Jennifer O'Brien.
So despite all the kerfuffle inspired by Toronto Star coverage and the recent People for Education report, the guidelines pushed out by the ministry really haven't changed, and are still in draft form.
Having said all that, I do like they state that no fee should be charged for any resource needed to complete a credit needed for graduation. Rightly so, those should be covered by grants and as PFE showed last week there are plenty of schools charging fees for these credit courses.
I also like the reporting mechanism in place here, but that's because I'm generally a fan of anything that pushes more data out into the public realm.
Monday, March 28, 2011
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5 comments:
I believe that was the main intent of the whole process/document (data and reporting). But it leaves the "policing" to......?
Well, to us. Really... just the same way its the public, through media and PFE and others, that has raised awareness and the ensuing frustration over the fees that exist now.
Hugo
Check out what the frustration is about now...on the P4e online community...see the discussion on "the dreaded fundraising debate" (most recent dialogue)
none of this is new to anyone who's been involved in public education. What's amazing is why it's taken People for Education and the MOE so long to raise this beyond an exercise of lip-service.
And please do tell me why when planning and accounting for money raised and spent was clearly spelled out in the operating manual for school councils but rarely if ever supported or followed-up on by the MOE or P4E?
Um, further, credit where credit is due. The London Free Press had virtually the same guidelines on its website in June 2010.
These guidelines are not new. They've been re-released for a more public consumption. People should be aware of this.
Hugo
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