Parents Now Paying $570 for Basic School Supplies They Already Pay For in Taxes

NEWS: QUEEN'S PARK – To mark the first day of school, Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak and PC Education Critic Elizabeth Witmer, MPP Kitchener-Waterloo, called on Dalton McGuinty to stop forcing parents to pay out-of-pocket for school supplies that parents already pay for through their taxes.

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Ontario schools are being made to raise over half a billion dollars every year through school fees and other fundraising measures to pay for basic student supplies such as textbooks and safety equipment. Above and beyond the education taxes we pay to the McGuinty Government, this means a family with two kids in school is now spending an average of $570 out of their own pockets to ensure their kids have the basic materials. When you also consider Ontario families are paying more in taxes with Dalton McGuinty’s HST and more for tuition, hydro bills and auto insurance, Hudak said it’s clear that Ontario families just can’t afford Dalton McGuinty anymore. QUOTES: "For all that Ontario families now pay in taxes, it is unacceptable that they have to pay $570 for textbooks and other basics of sending your child to school." --Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak “School fundraising used to be for school trips and new playgrounds. In Dalton McGuinty’s education system, parents are now forced to fundraise for basic school supplies.”QUICK FACTS:

• Ontario schools raised $592 million last year through school fees, fundraising and other revenue
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• $592 million divided by Ontario’s 2.07 million students in elementary and high school (Source: Ontario Ministry of Education) equals an average of $285 per student, or $570 for a family with two students, per year.
• Although it is against education ministry guidelines to charge parents for any materials students need to complete a course, some schools are charging parents for items such as textbooks, safety goggles, sports equipment and musical instruments.

CONTACT: Christine Bujold, christine.bujold@pc.ola.org

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