1. It takes a whole school to educate a child
Ontario School Board Coordinating Committee

2. Lunch Room & Breakfast Program Staff School Safety Monitors
A whole school includes:
Custodians
Early Child Educators
Office Staff
Maintenance Staff
Library Staff
Education Assistants
Lunch Room & Breakfast Program Staff
Instructors
Social Workers
School Safety Monitors
…and others
Teachers
Families

3. We must fund whole schools.
The current funding formula is broken.
It does not factor in all the people required for our community schools to provide the complete education our kids need.
This flawed formula results in ongoing cuts to vital support staff and short-sighted school closures.
With the current funding formula the quality of our children’s education is in continual decline.

4. What will it take for the provincial government to fix it?
A logical argument based on evidence is not enough.
The issues that get prioritized by the government are the issues that they believe will help them win the next election.

5. To win the funding changes we need
We must:
Build our power of influence (public support)
Identify strategic points of leverage
Maximize our pressure on the points of leverage

6. We have to and can fix this.
Current reality:
Despite the fact that individual students and parents develop strong relationships with school support staff, most of the general public thinks only about teachers when it comes to funding education.
We have to and can fix this.

7. How do we change current reality?
Tap into fond memories of people’s favourite support staff to shift the public’s current perception that education = teachers
Piggyback on a message people accept as a common truth, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.”
Use the emotional connections people have to individual support staff, to increase overall recognition of the importance of our education workers
Pull our members out from behind the shadows of teachers when it comes to funding education

8. If we’re going to succeed we need to build allies.
It can’t just be our CUPE leaders demanding government action
We need our members talking about the need for whole school funding
We need our parent councils talking about the need for whole school funding
We need our school boards talking about the need for whole school funding

9. Where do we start and how do we get there?
Recognize our strategic windows of opportunity (points of leverage)
Clearly articulate our vision
Strategically outreach to build support
Increase public profile through events & media
Lobby government with clear demands
Take advantage of windows of opportunity to maximize public pressure on government

10. Strategic windows of opportunity Politics 101
The political party in power wants to stay in power
They want to make people happy
They know they can’t make everyone happy
They make strategic calculations based on blocks of voters, issues that are deemed to be vote determinant and proximity to election day
Big ticket funding commitments are made in the budget before the election
Additional funding commitments can sometimes happen before or during the election if they feel it’s needed to help them win
Other political parties base their election promises on what they believe can help them win

11. Strategic windows of opportunity (points of leverage)
The current Liberal government is extremely unpopular and can’t afford to look bad on education
There are two budget cycles before the next election which provide critical opportunities
February 2017
February 2018
The next provincial election is tentatively set for June 14th, 2018

12. Clearly articulate our vision
It takes a whole school to educate a child. Our government must fund whole schools.
The current funding formula is broken.
It does not factor in all the people required for our community schools to provide the complete education our kids need.
This flawed formula results in ongoing cuts to vital support staff and short-sited school closures.
With the current funding formula the quality of our children’s education is in continual decline.
The government must fix the funding formula to properly account for the real needs of our children.

13. Strategically outreach to build support
Start with our members. If we can’t convince them this is important we won’t be able to convince the government.
Parent councils. Parents are the voters most affected by the flawed funding formula.
School Board Trustees. They are the ones who continually have to find and implement more cuts and most would be happy not to do it.
Education allies. We need to get them singing from the same song book.
Broader public. When our message develops broader public support we have succeeded in building the power we need to have influence.

14. Increase public profile through events and media
When it comes to influencing elected politicians not all media markets are created equally
Be strategic in organizing events
Take advantage of events organized by others
Team up with allies

15. Lobby government with clear demands
Success requires a multi-pronged approach
Central:
Premier
Minister of Education
Minister of Finance
Local:
School Board Trustees
Local MPPs

16. Take advantage of windows of opportunity to maximize pressure on government
School closures / local school issue
Pre-budget hearing
School Board meeting
Budget watches
Fall fairs / spring fairs, etc.
Pre-election

17. Local Action Required Member appreciation events
Build recognition for the importance of our members work
Whole School presentations to parent councils
Get parents to sign-on to our campaign for Whole School Funding
Meet with School Board Trustees
Get Trustees to sign-on to our campaign for Whole School Funding and pass resolutions calling on the provincial government to implement it
Promote Whole School Funding at Community Events
Attract kids with face paint and ‘Whole School’ balloons, talk to parents and collect petition signatures

18. Central Actions Required
Campaign Coordination / Updates
Pre-budget stakeholder consultation
Endorsement from organizational allies
Meet with Premier and Minister of Education
Central Budget response
Maximize opportunities as they arise P

19. It takes a whole school to educate a child.
Our government must fund whole schools.