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PAGE, 4, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 1984, WHITBY FREE PRESS y y [ Published every Wednesday By M.B.M. PUBLISHING and Photography Ine. Phone 608-6111 The Free Press Building, Michael Ian Burgess, Publisher - Managing Editor 131 Brock Street North, V- P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. MICHAEL J. KNELL Community Editor CONWAY DOBBS Advertising Manager Second ClaMs Mail Registration No. 5351 Il1 Government decision to fund Catholic education will destroy both systems *Long time readers of the Whitby Free Press are aware that this newspaper has some serious con- cerns about the funding of education not only in this region, but in this province as well. In fact, some of our detractors have accused us of trying to undermine the cause of education in the region. We have often wondered whether or not the current methods of funding education will ultimately bankrupt the very same children that we are attempting to educate. The government of Premier William Davis recently threw yet another monkey wrench into the system when he announced that public money will be used to finance the entire Roman Catholic separate school system in Ontario. Last week, a prominent daily newspaper columnist suggested that the government's an- nouncement was a deliberate attempt to destroy the separate school system in Ontario. While this newspaper is not sure that this is Davis' intent we believe this will surely be the result. The complete and total funding of the separate school system will mean that thip province will soon have two public school systems both of which will suffer frorn increasing financial problems over the next decade. In return for receiving full public finding, the separate school system will no longer be allowed to discriminate against non-Catholic teachers in its hiring practises and will have to admit any child who desires to enter any of their schools. And this is how it should be. If the Durham Region Roman Catholic Separate School Board is to accept money from ail the taxpayers of this province then it must assume certain respon- sibilities and obligations towards those same tax- payers. After ail, it is not right (or even moral) for the Catholic school system to accept our money and then tell us that it will not accept our children or hire teachers because they do not agree with their religious convictions. If the separate school board wishes to maintain an identity apart from the public school system then they must also be financially independant from the public at large. After all, neither Trafalgar Castle School or Lakefield College School (two of Ontario's private schools) do not receive funding from the taxpayer. They maintain their financial independance so that they can offer an alternative system of education to the one offered by the tax- payer. Last week, Whitby separate school board trustee Charles Roche told this newspaper that the province has no obligation to fund his system but does not have the right to dictate its hiring or admission practises. We're sorry, but the trustee cannot have his cake and eat it too. However, this newspaper believes that these issues are not necessarily the most important ones. What is important is the long term funding of education in this province. A great many politicians at ail levels of gover- nment have been vowing over the last several years to rid government of duplication of services. By making this announcement, the premier has created a severe duplication in Ontario's education system. He has, in effect, created two public education systems. The taxpayers of this region and this province will have to suffer with two sets of school boards, two sets of education beaurocracies, untold numbers of teachers' unions, and who knows how many overcrowded and empty claesroormSi in both systems There is also a distinct possibility that the premier's decision will mean that the public school systern will have to get by with even less public money. That means the public school boards will have to increase residential property taxes at an even greater ratethan has been in the past few years in order to make up for the shor- tfall. The province's contributions to the public education system has also been falling over the past few years creating an additional burden on the property taxpayer. Now the province will create even larger a bur- den. The general public will be paying for Davis' decision in two ways. Firstly, part of their tax money will be used to pay for the separate school system. Secondly, they will have to pay higher property taxes to support their own system because it is receiving less money from the province. The amazing thing is that if the separate school system has its way then the general non- Catholic taxpayer of this province will have no voice in how his money is spent. We also believe that this qjLa!ion is a serious violation of the principle of thle separation bet- ween church and state. What truly makes the separate school system separate is that their methods of education are basedon the teachings of the Church of Rome. The public school system on the other hand, m'st respect ail religious faiths. The Ontario government has, in effect, decided to subsidize a school system that operates accor- ding to the doctrine of one religious faith. And if the separate school system is to remain true to its convictions then it must jealously guard the doc- trine of the church it professes to support. We should also point out that the Ontario government does not support those schools that operate according to the doctrines and beliefs of the Anglican Church, the Moslems or those schools operated by the fundamentalist Christian movement. The government is, therefore, discriminating against these schools solely on the grounds of religion. That is distinctly forbid- den under the Canadian Constitution. The government of Ontario should be suppor- ting a public school system, one that respects the rights of ail of its citizens. The government has no business supporting a denominational sphool system that does discriminate in its hiring and admitting practises on the grounds of religion. But the unfortunate thing is that every major political party in this province has declared its support for the premier's;decision. In this issue, there shall be no voice of reason. No party will defend the rights of the non-Catholic citizen and yet it is that citizen that will pay, and pay dearly, for this decision. * i ~ ~ whitb Voice of County Town A He un'Y "EUIDY newspaper inaepencienuy ownea and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents.