Ward 17 School Board Trustee Candidate Mary Hynes on the Drummond Report

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 20, 2012) - Seasoned community activist and leading by-election candidate for school trustee in Ward 17, Mary Hynes, plans to spend Family Day nearby her school talking to fellow parents.

"Our schools are the custodians of our kids. With all this economic turmoil, surely now is the time to protect them!", said Hynes from her home in Don Mills.

"We've been abandoned and mismanaged by governments at all levels for years! And now we have a top Bay Street banker suggesting we slash budgets, front line staff and all day kindergarten!"

A report, commissioned by the Ontario government last year, was tabled by Don Drummond last Tuesday and it contained a litany of cost-cutting recommendations.

Education specialist, Annie Kidder of the Ontario parent group, People for Education, last month noted that an increase below our current level of 2.9% inflation for education, (say 1% for the coming year) "Will make it difficult to cover the costs of things like: increases in electricity costs... capital costs for new space needed for the expansion of all-day kindergarten [with the result that]... text books, computers and classroom supplies may not be replaced... building renewal, replacement and repairs may be delayed [and] more school closings."

Said Greg Laws online to Annie Kidder's discussion on education funding, "In terms of Mr. Drummond's report, it actually does what he set out to do, and puts an economics-only focus on public service delivery... There needs to be a broader discussion of what a quality education looks like."

Declares Hynes, "I'm here to say to the people of Don Valley East that it's time to stand up for our schools! On Monday, February 27^th we'd better all stand up and get over to our polling stations to vote!"