By Kathy Olson
Parents will be spending more to send their children to school next fall.
A decision by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board to cut $800,000 from funding for elementary school supplies means students in public schools will have to provide their own notebooks, pencils, and crayons next year.
The board has set aside $150,000 for families who can’t afford the extra cost, estimated at $20 per student.
School board chair Albert Chambers voted for the cut. He says the decision reflects a need to reduce spending based on provincial grants but still considers the situation of low-income families.
Centretown parents have mixed feelings about the measure.
Bill Filleter, co-chair of Elgin Street public school council, says he is not worried about the impact of the cut.
He admits the extra money might be difficult for some families, but he says the school council will make an effort to ensure all students have the materials they need.
“If it comes down to this we’ll just fund-raise and we’ll supply scribblers, pencils, erasers and things of that nature,” says Filleter.
Ruth Connors, a parent and school council member at McNabb Park public school, says the cuts should have a minimal effect on students. She says they’re necessary in order for schools to continue to provide the same quality of classroom instruction.
But, Anita Miller, chair of Cambridge Street public school’s parent council, says the cuts mean more hardship for low-income families.
“I know that parents who are on social assistance are going to find this yet another burden to carry,” says Miller.