Keep private money out of public education

Burnaby Now

Published: Wednesday, May 21, 2008

It's pretty tough to say no to free money.

With schools constantly searching for ways to provide a growing array of services to meet an increasing number of challenges, it's even tougher.

Which is why the Burnaby school board must have had a hard time saying 'no' to an offer from the Korean community to cover the cost of Korean language classes in the district.

Students used to pay for those classes. But, following a Ministry of Education decree that says districts can't charge for courses leading to graduation, the school district decided to provide the credit courses for free rather than cancel them.

An estimated 70 students are expected to take those courses next school year, with about 30 of those students likely not covered by provincial funding.

The Korean community extended an offer to cover those costs instead.

But, difficult as it must have been, school trustees were right to turn down that offer.

Yes, it was a generous offer. Yes, it was well-intentioned. No, there was no hidden agenda. No, there were no strings attached. But the fact remains that the public education system should remain just that: public.

As vice-chair Diana Mumford pointed out, the more the local community is willing to do, the more the province can step back from its role as funder of public education.

If courses are worth offering, and if they are a valid part of students' education - which these classes are - then they should be covered by public money. Period.

Anything else starts the school district down that proverbial slippery slope towards a tiered system in which those who can afford to donate money get to decide what classes are offered.

Sometimes, free money isn't worth the cost.