Social Planning Toronto, May 6, 2013Social Planning Toronto, May 6, 2013

Concerns about theConcerns about the

Uses of the Learning Opportunities GrantUses of the Learning Opportunities Grant

Demographic AllocationDemographic Allocation

TDSB Budget 2013-2014

What is the Learning Opportunities Grant?

The Learning Opportunities Grant is a collection of eight grants from the Ontario Ministry of Education to School Boards:

– The Demographic Allocation (the big portion)– Seven smaller program-specific grants

(from MoE - Technical Paper, 2013-2014)

What is the Demographic Allocation?

“The largest portion of LOG funding – $346.4 million – is flowed through the Demographic Allocation, which provides funding based on social and economic indicators that are associated with a higher risk of academic difficulties.”

(quoted from MoE - Technical Paper, 2013-2014)

The Learning Opportunities Grant for 2013-2014

What are these social and economic indicators?

• Low Income 50%

• Recent Immigration (2001 - 2006) 25%

• Low Parental Education (no HS diploma) 12.5%

• Lone Parent Status 12.5%

Derived from 2006 Census data

(from MoE - Technical Paper, 2013-2014)

What is LOG Demographic Allocation for?

“The Demographic Allocation supports boards in offering a wide range of programs to improve the educational achievement of these students. Examples of programs include breakfast programs, homework clubs, reading recovery, and resource withdrawal. Boards have considerable latitude in determining the kinds of programs and supports that they provide with this funding.”

(quoted from MoE - Technical Paper, 2013-2014)

Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy

“The Learning Opportunities Grant is used by school boards for a variety of programs, such as remedial reading, breakfast and lunch programs, tutors, mentoring, adapted curriculum, summer school, literacy and numeracy programs and homework clubs, to give that extra help that students sometimes need to achieve their potential.”

(quoted from Breaking the Cycle, 2009, page 12)

• TDSB has chosen to (spend) more on principals, vice-principals, educational assistants, libraries, guidance, special education, textbooks, etc. (than) the (amount) provided by the funding formula

• TDSB uses money from other areas, such as English as a Second Language (ESL) or Learning Opportunities (LOI), to fund these areas

http://www.tdsb.on.ca/wwwdocuments/about_us/budget_information/docs/TDSB

%20Budget_%20May%2023.pdf

Page 3

TDSB 2012/2013 BudgetCreating Financial Stability

Trustee presentation To Ward 7 Council, February 2012

Slide 19

The Learning Opportunities Grant TDSB portion of the TOTAL amount 2013-2014

all eight portions

The Learning Opportunities Grant TDSB portion of the DEMOGRAPHIC

ALLOCATION 2013-2014

Ontario’s Learning Opportunities Grants (Demographic Allocation) to TDSB from 1998-99 to 2013-2014

Using TDSB enrolment reported to Ministry of Education

from 2002-2003 to 2011-2012,

LOG Demographic Allocation per-pupil

Learning Opportunities Grants

Revenue and Model-School (MSIC) and LO-related Expenditures

TDSB 2011-2012

Sources: Min of Ed Regulation 136/11; Budget Committee Report 34, June 6, 2012

Learning Opportunities Grants

Revenue and Model-School and LO-related Expenditures

TDSB 2011-2012

Sources: Min of Ed Regulation 136/11; Budget Committee Report 34, June 6, 2012

LOG demographic allocation 11-12 $128,150,073LOG demographic allocation 12-13 $126,933,377LOG demographic allocation 13-14 $125,756,050

Decrease 1 $1,216,696 Decrease 2 $1,177,327

Recent reductions of Ministry LOGRecent reductions of Ministry LOGto TDSBto TDSB

LOG-DA Decrease 1 (2012) $1,216,696LO Staff reduction 32 (@$50,000) $1,600,000

LOG-DA Decrease 2 (2013) $1,177,327LO Staff reduction 32 (@$50,000) $1,600,000

Difference over two years $383,304 + $422,673 = $805,977

TDSB Human Resources and Professional Resources CommitteeMarch 21, 2012 and February 28, 2013

Reductions of Ministry LOG-DA to TDSBReductions of Ministry LOG-DA to TDSBLearning Opportunities (LO) Secondary Teaching Learning Opportunities (LO) Secondary Teaching

Positions by TDSBPositions by TDSB

Learning Opportunities Grants

Revenue and Model-School (MSIC) and LOI-related Expenditures

TDSB 2011-2012

Sources: Min of Ed Regulation 136/11; Budget Committee Report 34, June 6, 2012

If the June 2012 level of diversion of LOG funds was in place since the year 1998

by virtue of the TDSB interpretation of “latitude”

it would mean that over a 13-year period

the amount of the Ministry’s LOG funding taken away from use for the students considered most at risk of academic failure would be

just under $1 billion

Ontario’s Learning Opportunities Grants to TDSB

from 1998-99 to 2013-2014

How do we get a billion dollars?

Conclusions

1. TDSB uses only a fraction of the LOG for its intended purposes

1. In an equity-conscious Board, cuts to Model Schools and other programs for children from low-income backgrounds seem out of place

2. The amount of the LOG used for its intended purposes should be raised incrementally over a five-year period

Social Planning Toronto, April 24, 2013Social Planning Toronto, April 24, 2013