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js economist suntribune hd u lai 1ujn thursday feb 28 2002 gion community services and housing department family and childrens services division york region yadcrfigicm 18662439924 9059530983 newmarket jj f j- frompagesr rl v3eliiruhate tkatwoujd violate the schools earl manners union leader also calls for the province to scrap its private school tax credit initiative catholic ontario as a former catholic school board trustee tfiornhill mpp tina molinari said sheunderstands the merits of a catholic education sys tem in which her government would never consider dismantling absolutely not said mrs srtsb pu of rights r markham first markham place 9054152706 pickering 1300 kingston road 9058318506 live better spend less every day througkotificatholic families have and should always have the option to send their children to schools that espouse their catholic values and beliefs she added imarkham- resident josephine pariagfecbrsaid the separate school system offers children a quality of education not afforded in the public system sx theyre taught qualities that are rooted in catholic beliefs said mrs parlagreco cochairperson of the regional catholic school council they become better people as they develop those virtues and val ues that is built in everything they do she said mrs parlagreco added york region district school boards char acter education program geared to high school students promotes traits similar to those taught to catholic elementary and high school students with so much going out there i would hate to see a further disrup tion to the choices we have in addition to the elimination of a publicly funded secular school system mr manners would like to see theprovince scrap its private school tax credit initiative i the free market approacrfdoes- nt work said mr manners who believes the governmenfshould rework its funding mdaeand immediately addfesstkefiooming teacher shortage cnsisfss public educatiohis principle that every stulentrsthfe opportunity to succeed the saidvp we can have quality andequity but quality and no evuity isaym- bol of privilege nptjbducation- however country day school assistant headmaster jim bayler dis agrees- f mrjybayler said some of the king cityplfivate schools 708 students cometfromfarriilies of mixedfeco- nomicbackgrounds rwahnefs opinion jisthat higheridf families get enough breaks and v dont need another break hesaicl mostof our students come from twoincome families with hard workingparents who work very hard to give them the privilege of attending private school regardless of political stripe mr manners called on public school supporters to work together to improve a troubled and deteriorat ing public education system if you believe in public educa tion- we have to work together to enhance it or else we will remain polarized and we wont get the sys tem we want for our children in the future he said manners noted the provincial government has reduced education spending byat least 2 billipii oyer the past- seven years and need to start pumping money backintb the system i or consider sharing the responsibility with local municipal ities f theyre not cutting fat theyre cutting bone and killing the car- cass mr manners said there has to be some local con- tfolof education funding i believe municipalities know how to make those dollars work best for their schools