a former student representative in the Roman Catholic school board, I felt our influence on our own education would be diminished. If there were any issues that arose with the curriculum, students would have to go to Toronto to complain. We would no longer be able to go to the local school board, which was amalgamated because of Bill 160. With the passing of the bill, seventy new school boards to be created, including one massive school board covering all of Metropolitan Toronto. The Minister of Finance influences all funding decisions. Local communities have no say in where the money goes. Many of the programs and services people enjoy in their communities will be cut because the money will be spent elsewhere. As a result, many extra-curricular activities have been cut because there simply is no money, and many teachers are unwilling to devote their spare time anymore. We have no idea where the school budget money is going because, "the Ministry of Education & Training has regularly promised their funding allocation model for months. Its purpose is to give financial detail with respect to budget dollars available for an amalgamated school board system. It's still not ready" (Centralization). The main problem associated with Bill 160 is the complete authority of the provincial government. Authority is a form of power applied when people respect the source of the command. The school board now has the job of cutting wages, benefits and teacher preparation time. When the teachers were refusing to work, Ontario Premier Mike Harris went to the courts to request a back to work order because the teachers had been on strike for two weeks. The courts denied his request because they thought workers would refuse to obey. The union leaders were in control of the unions and they had to dissolve the strike. In essence, their leaders destroyed their fight. Bill 160 was created to help reduce spending. Mike Harris was under the obligat...
