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TIME TO AMALGAMATE THE TWO PUBLICLY FUNDED SCHOOL BOARDS
We in Dorchester have the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board. Both Boards are publicly funded under the supervision of the Ontario Department of Education.
To be able to attend St David’s elementary school,with a meager 220 students, sure is complicated. The child has to have certification that they were baptized in a Roman Catholic church or have at least one parent who is baptized or a parent seeking "Profession of Fath" to enrol in the Catechism classes all under the direction of a Roman Catholic priest.
Secondary Catholic Secondary schools have open access for all students if the student agrees to take the mandatory Catholic Religion courses and obligatory church Mass services at appropriate times of
the year. The Thames Valley Board of Education, also has declining enrollment numbers, with no religious stipulations regarding employment or education. Teachers/students of all faiths and backgrounds are welcome to attend/ teach for the Board.
What I question is why the Catholic Board of Education is still publically funded? They restrict employment based on one’s religious beliefs. The recruitment Provincial hiring policies are quite simple.
"Equal opportunity of all employment regardless of sex, age, creed or marital status"
But, the RC Board’s regulation number five states that: "All applicants to the Catholic Board of Education shall be required to complete an application provided by the Board which includes an agreement to respect gospel values and the mission, practices and traditions of the LDCSDSB." Check out the web site www.ldscb.on.ca
A pastoral letter from one’s parish priest that shows that: "the prospective teacher was baptized in the Catholic Church, attending church regularly, involved and adhering to the faith" is an integral part of the hiring process.
Wait a minute you ask: what happened to the equal opportunity section to all to teach at a publicly
funded school.
My two children attended Regina Mundi College Catholic Secondary School in London, graduated from Western University and attended Althouse Teacher’s College.
They are not Catholics and therefore are denied the opportunity to teach at St David’s or Regina Mundi College. My four young grandchildren are not eligible to attend St David’s in the Village.
The Thames Valley Board of Education offers up equal employment with no regard to one’s religious beliefs. There is no place set aside to denote one’s sex, marital status, country of origin or religious affiliation.
I know that the :"The guarantee of minority denomination schooling rights was included in Section 93 of the British North America Act in 1867 to protect the minority rights of Protestants in Quebec and Catholics in Ontario. The Quebec/ Newfoundland legislators have eliminated the constitutional rights to faith-based education in their provinces.
According to the current regulations even Jesus Christ could not teach for the Catholic Board in London. He was Jewish a Rabbi who was not baptized and did not attend a Catholic church.
With growing declining enrollment numbers it is time to abolish publically funded Catholic education in Ontario schools.
It is not fair that the Christian. Moslem, Jewish communities are denied educational funding for their children while the Roman Catholic schools receive public funding. Seems like an unfair playing field to me. Drop me an e mail.
mailto:www.lenlesser@hotmail.com Len is an education/career counsellor in Dorchester.www.career-educaton.ca
Len Lesser