1. Social Planning Toronto, May 6, 2013Social Planning Toronto, May 6, 2013
Concerns about theConcerns about the
Uses of the Learning Opportunities GrantUses of the Learning Opportunities Grant
Demographic AllocationDemographic Allocation
TDSB Budget 2013-2014

2. What is the Learning Opportunities Grant?
The Learning Opportunities Grant is a collection
of eight grants from the Ontario Ministry of
Education to School Boards:
– The Demographic Allocation (the big portion)
– Seven smaller program-specific grants
(from MoE - Technical Paper, 2013-2014)

3. What is the Demographic Allocation?
“The largest portion of LOG funding – $346.4
million – is flowed through the Demographic
Allocation, which provides funding based on
social and economic indicators that are
associated with a higher risk of academic
difficulties.”
(quoted from MoE - Technical Paper, 2013-2014)

4. The Learning Opportunities Grant for 2013-2014

5. What are these social and economic indicators?
• Low Income 50%
• Recent Immigration (2001 - 2006) 25%
• Low Parental Education (no HS diploma) 12.5%
• Lone Parent Status 12.5%
Derived from 2006 Census data
(from MoE - Technical Paper, 2013-2014)

6. What is LOG Demographic Allocation for?
“The Demographic Allocation supports boards
in offering a wide range of programs to
improve the educational achievement of these
students.
Examples of programs include breakfast
programs, homework clubs, reading recovery,
and resource withdrawal.
Boards have considerable latitude in
determining the kinds of programs and
supports that they provide with this funding.”
(quoted from MoE - Technical Paper, 2013-2014)

7. Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy
“The Learning Opportunities Grant is used
by school boards for a variety of
programs, such as remedial reading,
breakfast and lunch programs, tutors,
mentoring, adapted curriculum, summer
school, literacy and numeracy programs
and homework clubs, to give that extra
help that students sometimes need to
achieve their potential.”
(quoted from Breaking the Cycle, 2009, page 12)

8. • TDSB has chosen to (spend) more on principals, vice-
principals, educational assistants, libraries, guidance, special
education, textbooks, etc. (than) the (amount) provided by the
funding formula
• TDSB uses money from other areas, such as English as a
Second Language (ESL) or Learning Opportunities (LOI), to
fund these areas
http://www.tdsb.on.ca/wwwdocuments/about_us/budget_information/docs/TDSB%20Budget_%20May%2023.pdf
Page 3
TDSB 2012/2013 Budget
Creating Financial Stability

9. Trustee presentation
To Ward 7 Council, February 2012
Slide 19

10. The Learning Opportunities Grant
TDSB portion of the TOTAL amount 2013-2014
all eight portions

11. The Learning Opportunities Grant
TDSB portion of the DEMOGRAPHIC
ALLOCATION 2013-2014

12. Ontario’s Learning Opportunities Grants (Demographic
Allocation) to TDSB from 1998-99 to 2013-2014

13. Using TDSB enrolment reported to Ministry of Education
from 2002-2003 to 2011-2012,
LOG Demographic Allocation per-pupil

14. Learning Opportunities Grants
Revenue and Model-School (MSIC) and LO-related Expenditures
TDSB 2011-2012
Amount (percentage)
128
40
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
LOG revenue Total MSIC + LO other
Amount(millions)
LOG revenues and expenditures in the TDSB 2011-12
Sources: Min of Ed Regulation 136/11; Budget Committee Report 34, June 6, 2012

15. Learning Opportunities Grants
Revenue and Model-School and LO-related Expenditures
TDSB 2011-2012
Sources: Min of Ed Regulation 136/11; Budget Committee Report 34, June 6, 2012

16. LOG demographic allocation 11-12 $128,150,073
LOG demographic allocation 12-13 $126,933,377
LOG demographic allocation 13-14 $125,756,050
Decrease 1 $1,216,696
Decrease 2 $1,177,327
Recent reductions of Ministry LOGRecent reductions of Ministry LOG
to TDSBto TDSB

17. LOG-DA Decrease 1 (2012) $1,216,696
LO Staff reduction 32 (@$50,000) $1,600,000
LOG-DA Decrease 2 (2013) $1,177,327
LO Staff reduction 32 (@$50,000) $1,600,000
Difference over two years $383,304 + $422,673 = $805,977
TDSB Human Resources and Professional Resources Committee
March 21, 2012 and February 28, 2013
Reductions of Ministry LOG-DA to TDSBReductions of Ministry LOG-DA to TDSB
Learning Opportunities (LO) Secondary TeachingLearning Opportunities (LO) Secondary Teaching
Positions by TDSBPositions by TDSB

18. Learning Opportunities Grants
Revenue and Model-School (MSIC) and LOI-related Expenditures
TDSB 2011-2012
128
40
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
LOG revenue Total MSIC + LOI other
Amount(millions)
LOG revenues and expenditures in the TDSB 2011-12
Sources: Min of Ed Regulation 136/11; Budget Committee Report 34, June 6, 2012

19. If the June 2012 level of diversion of LOG funds was in
place since the year 1998
by virtue of the TDSB interpretation of “latitude”
it would mean that over a 13-year period
the amount of the Ministry’s LOG funding taken away
from use for the students considered most at risk of
academic failure would be
just under $1 billion

20. Ontario’s Learning Opportunities Grants to TDSB
from 1998-99 to 2013-2014
How do we get a billion dollars?

21. Conclusions
1. TDSB uses only a fraction of the LOG for its intended purposes
1. In an equity-conscious Board, cuts to Model Schools and other
programs for children from low-income backgrounds seem out
of place
2. The amount of the LOG used for its intended purposes should
be raised incrementally over a five-year period
Social Planning Toronto, April 24, 2013Social Planning Toronto, April 24, 2013