Editor:
In her letter, “Public money for private schools” of Oct. 14, Sunshine Coast Teachers’ Association president Louise Herle invokes errors and distortions in her attempts to discredit a one-time, $1-million grant to a limited number of B.C. independent schools providing highly specialized services for special needs students.
The grant will help provide much-needed, year-round services in customized approaches for some of the most needy learners and their families. Research evidence has clarified a need to develop highly specialized approaches for a few students who are unable to find the support they need in existing public or independent schools.
No, Ms. Herle, public schools are not “being left out” – they already receive a per-pupil funding allocation double that of independent school learners, or the same amount of special needs funding as independent schools, which can range as high as around $38,000 per child. Funding parity for special needs learners is a result of a Supreme Court ruling of several years ago that recognized a need for equal funding for these learners regardless of whether they chose to enrol in public or independent schools.
I additionally challenge Ms. Herle’s further comments in which she seeks to marginalize independent schools as somehow unworthy of “public” funding. As an educator who has spent the last 14 years working in a unique, online independent school I helped co-found, I consider her accusation protectionist and anti-democratic. Many independent schools in B.C. – including the one in which I work – do not charge tuition but do provide many exemplary learning support services for children and youth, including special needs learners. Their attendance in these schools often reflects a choice their parents make, and the last time I checked, having a range of choice was a sign of a healthy democracy.
Michael Maser, co-founder, SelfDesign Learning Community (Ministry-certified online, independent school), Gibsons
