Tuition Pension

Fundraising at some schools has reached  unprecedented  levels. The amounts of money being raised  to  help address the shortfalls of the funding formula are beyond belief, in some cases. Because of the huge  fundraising gaps among some schools and school districts, rules are being considered to help divert the ‘excess’ money  to  other  schools in under-serviced areas or to simply enforce a limit on how much money any school is entitled to raise and ultimately keep for their own use.

Complaining that school A has too much money while school B can’t seem to reach a fundraising minimum is very short sighted by the people in power- whoever  they are and wherever they exert their influence...Children are children anywhere you go. Anything that helps one child helps all children. Enough already!

As I have written in several previous blogs, keeping things simple helps to keeps us sane, and financially  and physically healthy. Years ago, I sent a letter to the business editor of a major newspaper about an idea I had called a tuition pension, an investment  fund that pays only for  students’ tuition. The funds would come from a percentage of money raised  from fundraising from all schools in all districts in the province. The government would also contribute... Since government exists because of something called a taxpayer, it would be incumbent upon us to determine the parameters of this program...It would be administered by  qualified people with credentials: business people, accountants and actuaries. 

The population of Ontario equals nearly all of the population from the remaining provinces, more or less. Our school boards are larger and there are more of them. The amounts of money that could be raised would be considerable and could help all children enter programs-(college, university, trade schools)- for which they are qualified but cannot afford.  Their  “free” education would naturally come at price.. They would be expected to achieve a B minimum each year in the program for reimbursement to occur.

Years ago I heard about a system in the state of Georgia in the U.S. that paid the tuition for every student achieving a B  or higher in college/university. The money came from lottery funds. There is a proliferation of lottery tickets everywhere you go. Is the money being spent wisely in the area of health care? Does education not meet the one of the  criteria for healthcare reform? Is an educated populace not a healthy one, too? I wonder!

It makes sense that channelling as  much  “found” money in the direction of  higher education ultimately helps all of us. An educated society creates a strong economy where money is in plentiful supply for the creation of programs that help those who need it... We all care about children... Yet the playing field is  not always equal at different points in their lives...Isolation breeds resentment... When these powerless little people grow up, the consequences to society can be a wake up call no one wants...Those who were marginalized at an early age will eventually come calling, one way or another...The time to act is now. We do not need a committee, a referendum, a roundtable discussion about the merits of educating our children beyond grade 12... We simply need common sense.  More on this subject later.............

A  famous neuroscientist came calling, one day...