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OSSTF District 11- Thames Valley
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District 11 Office |
Education Matters Online
Feature
Volume 4, Issue 2: December 12, 2005
The Special Education Advisory Work GroupSubmitted by Nancy McDougall, Federation Services Officer |
At each meeting, the Workgroup is updated on the discussions at the Ministry Special Education Funding Working Table and OSSTF’s initiatives relating to Special Education. During the 2004-2005 school year, they provided input into OSSTF’s submission to the provincial government on Special Education Funding.
At the October 2005 Workgroup Meeting, the discussion focused on comments made by the Minister of Education at the September 30, 2005 Special Education Funding Working Table Meeting. Some of the areas highlighted by the Minister as in need of further discussion include the following:
• Program and learning needs should drive funding.
• Boards must be accountable for how dollars are spent
• The Ministry should be the catalyst to ensure outcomes are achieved.
• There is a concern about early labeling; identification of students must be done differently.
• The earlier in a student’s schooling that work can begin the better.
• Parents need to be engaged.
• The professional judgement of educators must be respected.
• Leadership capacity needs addressing.
OSSTF Special Education Advisory Workgroup will be meeting again early in 2006 to draft a position paper in response to these and other issues raised by the Minister.
