CKNW Editorial
for May 2, 2000

So, the NDP, in an effort to save money, will effectively reduce contributions to independent schools. And it is typical NDP crap.

Since funding for Independent Schools came in back in 1977 the formula for funding them has always taken into account changes in the public schools such as teachers salaries, size of the classroom and the like. The NDP has consistently promised that this system will be maintained – indeed it was a specific promise by then Premier Clark in the election of 1996. Glen Clark made a lot of promises in that election. Now the NDP are reneging even pretending that when they honoured their deal last year it was done by mistake of officials – the usual way the NDP weasel out of things. Now it appears that – and this is clearly the NDP’s objective – some smaller Independent Schools will have to close their doors.

Leaving aside the breach of commitment the government of British Columbia has made to independent schools – upon which commitment their financial plans have been made - this notion is both unfair and unwise.

The decision to fund, in part, independent schools happened in 1977 and was as a result the Bill Bennett led Socreds had made in the election of 1975. I remember the occasion very well because the proposal threw the NDP opposition into a tizzy. Philosophically they were opposed to the notion but practically they all had independent schools in their constituencies. Their answer was simply not to show up for the debate and the vote – not terribly courageous you might well think.

The NDP’s staunch ally, the BC Teachers Union is, of course, dead set against giving any money to private schools. This is because the more students that go to independent schools, the greater the condemnation of our public school system because the contrast is so obvious and parents do talk with one another about these things. I daresay thousands more parents in our province would send their kids to independent schools if they could afford it. So for openers here we have a very large dose of the politics of envy. The fact remains that children of independent schools are better taught both on the academic and personal levels. This fact is proved by the marketplace and it is this that the BC Teacher’s Union just hates. Parents, given the opportunity, prefer private schools.

There is a fairness aspect to this issue as well. Children who go to private schools do not, obviously, have an impact on public school finances. In short the government saves a lot of money on such children. Why shouldn’t a substantial amount of that saving be passed on to the parents? To hold otherwise is to say that it would be better to have the government paying 100% of the cost of those students than half … since that is palpable nonsense, political envy can be the only answer.

We should remember that the exclusive private schools like St Georges and Crofton House are only a small part of the Independent schools – the vast majority are smaller, often religiously based schools whose children come from modest backgrounds with the parents making enormous personal and family sacrifices to give their kids a better education.

There is the question of choice here – parents should have that choice especially when the marketplace has demonstrated that kids from private schools are better educated. But, says the left, if they want to exercise that choice, let them pay. Which gets back to fairness – shouldn’t there be some reward for parents who reduce the education costs substantially?

Why shouldn’t the same principle apply as applies with taxation? If you are a person who uses your car for your business you get to write off its depreciation but only to a limited expense. If you insist on driving a Cadillac or Rolls Royce you can only get a tax advantage up to an average car’s value. If you chose to sent your kids to a Cadillac school instead of a Honda Civic school, why shouldn’t you be credited with the cost of the Honda, or at least a substantial part of it.

This plan to reduce the credit for independent schools – done in the back handed way of increasing money for public schools without doing the same for private schools, thus changing a 25 year old precedent - comes at a time when the NDP must rally it’s traditional supporters behind it and that is precisely what this is all about. It is raw politics at work in an election year.

It will backfire. Not all teachers are NDP. Many of them see every day the reasons why independent schools seem attractive to parents. Not all NDP send their kids to public schools either.

The Independent schools see this as the thin edge of the wedge and they’re right. The better case – if fairness and good education were the criteria – can be made for increasing the proportion of funding to independent schools. But then fairness has never been the NDP’s strong suit and keeping peace with unionized teachers must always take a higher priority than good education.