It may not be – particularly if Premier McGuinty can sway public opinion his way. And, it appears that he may be doing just that. Already there are 2 Toronto District School Board trustees who want the board to reopen its vote on the Africentric school, citing that they did not know at the time of the vote that Queen’s Park would not be funding it. I can’t imagine that this was really a surprise considering that the board is looking at a deficit to the tune of 41 million dollars. Where on earth did the trustees think that the money was going to come from?

In the last election Premier McGuinty promised an inclusive public education system. An Africentric school hardly meets this criterion. So, instead of taking action and changing the law that gives the Toronto District School Board the autonomy to make decisions, Premier McGuinty is encouraging the public to put pressure on the trustees to overturn their decision. He did however make it abundantly clear that no additional funding would be forthcoming.

There has been much discussion and much controversy on what the opening of an Africentric school would actually accomplish. The yeah-sayers insist that it will stem the tide of black students dropping out or failing out of school. The nay-sayers cite the fact that there are over 30,000 black students currently enrolled in the Toronto District School Board. One or two Africentric schools are a drop in the bucket and instead a comprehensive plan must be put in place to address and deal with this problem. Research also shows that a student’s success at school is largely dependent on the level of support that he has at home. When the great tennis player Andre Agassi started a public school in his home town of Las Vegas in the poorest and most in need neighbourhood, one of the things that he required as an entrance requirement was a contract signed by the parents that they would commit to their child’s education. Please read the Parent/Guardian commitment at the school. http://www.agassiprep.org/about.html

Andre Agassi’s school now ranks among the highest in scholastic rankings in the state. Are we wrong in dumping the problem on the Toronto District School Board? Should we be looking to the families to commit to supporting their students? Should the Africentric School go ahead as planned or should the trustees reopen the vote?