The cost of French as a Second Language programs in schools 50

As the number of French immersion students in Ontario rises, so does the amount of funding it takes for the school boards to offer the program. The next section briefly describes educational funding in Ontario and explores the allocation of funds to French as a Second Language programs in Ontario.

The Ontario Ministry of Education uses specific criteria and formulae to calculate the Grants for Student Needs (GSN), which allocates funding to individual school boards for the purposes of financial reporting and budgeting (Ontario 2013b, p.5). According to the Ontario Ministry of Education, the funding to school boards through the GSN for the

2013-2014 school year is $20.80 billion (Ontario 2013b, p.5). The Educational funding of 2013-2014 is made up of: Pupil Foundation Grant, School Foundation Grant, twelve special purpose grants and Debt Service.

The ministry describes, “the Pupil Foundation Grant is a per-pupil allocation that supports the elements of a classroom education that are required by, and generally common to, all students” (Ontario 2013b, p. 12). The Pupil Foundation Grant provides funding for everything found in the school from classroom teachers, education assistants, and library and guidance services to textbooks, supplies, and computers.

While the School Foundation Grant covers administrative affairs including principals and vice-principals, school secretaries and office supplies. The twelve special purpose grants allocate specific funds to various boards of education, “which respond to the varying circumstances of boards and students. Special purpose grants recognize the different levels of support required by boards and students related to location, student and school needs, and a board’s demographic profile” (Ministry of Education, p. 25). The twelve special purpose grants are as follows: Special Education Grant; Language Grant; First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Education Supplement; Geographic Circumstances Grant; Learning Opportunities Grant; Safe Schools Supplement; Continuing Education and Other Programs Grant; Cost Adjustment and Teacher Qualifications and Experience Grant; Student Transportation Grant; Declining Enrolment Adjustment; School Board Administration and Governance Grant; and School Facility Operations and Renewal Grant.

According to the ministry, “the Language Grant provides funding to meet the school boards’ cost for language instruction” (Ontario 2013b, p. 39). The grant has five specific allocations: English as a Second Language/English Literacy Development Allocation, French as a First Language (FFL) Allocation, French as a Second Language (FSL) Allocation, Actualisation linguistique en français (ALF) Allocation, and

Programme d’appui aux nouveau arrivants (PANA) allocation. Table 2.2 illustrates the allocation of funds to the five allocations in order from highest to lowest allocation. Table 2.4. The 2013 allocations of funds the Language Grant

French as a Second Language (FSL) Allocation

$240.4 million English as Second Language/English Literacy

Development (ESL/ELD) Allocation $226.5 million Actualisation linguistique en français (ALF)

Allocation

$98.4 million French as a First Language (FFL) Allocation $74.4 million Programme d’appui aux nouveaux arrivants

(PANA) Allocation

$6.4 million

(Adapted from Ontario 2013b, p. 39) The table illustrates that the FSL allocation is the largest allocation, even higher than the ESL/ELD allocation which provides funding to pupils who have recently immigrated who were born in countries other than Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

French as a Second Language (FSL) funding is available only to the English language boards since it is intended to cover the additional costs of providing core French, extended French, and French immersion programs to students. The funding provided varies depending on whether the pupils are in the elementary or secondary

divisions as well as whether the pupils are studying at the core, extended, or immersion level.

FSL funding at the elementary level for core and extended French is provided for Grade 4 to 8 and is based on enrolment; whereas, boards who offer French immersion programs are funded based on enrolment for JK to Grade 8. The ministry is projecting the FSL funding allocation to be $240.4 million (Ontario 2013b, p. 41).

As previously stated, the allocation of funds depends both on the grade level and the type of FSL program in which the student is registered. The ministry states that in core French for grades 4 to 8, the average daily length of French studies is between 20 – 59 minutes and the allocation per pupil enrolled in the program is $288.85. In contrast, those pupils enrolled in extended French from grades 4 to 8, where the average daily length of the program is 60 – 149 minutes, the allocation per pupil is $329.10. The costs incurred per pupil rise dramatically when the students are enrolled in the French

immersion program. For those in immersion, enrolled in JK and SK, where the average daily length of the program is 75 minutes or more and for those immersion students enrolled in grades 1 to 8, where the daily average of the program is 150 minutes or more, the allocation per pupil enrolled in the program rises to $368.16.

Those pupils enrolled in secondary school the allocation of funding differs depending on grade level and whether the pupil is enrolled in a French as a subject credit or subjects other than French taught in French. For instance, those pupils enrolled in grade 9 and 10 are allocated $74.09 for French as a subject but $121.89 for subjects other than French taught in French. Those pupils enrolled in grade 11 and 12 the per pupil

credit allocated French as a subject is $97.99 but the allocation per pupil credit for subjects other than French taught in French rises to $190.01 for those in grade 11 or 12.

Of the twelve special purpose grants, the Language Grant is allotted more funding than the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Education Supplement, Geographic

Circumstances Grant, Learning Opportunities Grant, Safe Schools Supplement,

Continuing Education and Other Programs Grant, Declining Enrolment Adjustment, and the School Board Administration and Governance Grant which illustrates both its

prestige and importance. Additionally, the fact that FSL garners the most funding from this grant further illustrates the support and popularity of the program.