Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools

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The Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools (O.A.C.S.) was a nonprofit organization representing a membership of independent Christian schools in Eastern Canada. Its mission was to improve and expand these member schools by providing professional support services. From 1955 to 2010 the primary focus of the Board and Staff was political advocacy designed to persuade the Government of Ontario to provide grants on a basis similar to that provided to the Separate School Boards. In 2002 the membership was made up of 80 schools, educating 13,000 students and employing 980 certified teachers. The Alliance was part of a national network of 8 private school organizations across Canada.

Contents

Purpose

The O.A.C.S. Constitution of 1955 stated that it was committed to assisting its members, improving school quality and achieving justice for parents with children in independent schools in Eastern Canada. The pursuit of quality Christian education integrated with Biblical principles remained its primary raison d'etre. By 1980, the activities of the O.A.C.S. could be grouped under seven goals: membership support, Reformed Identity, Sound Reputation, International Network, Educational Quality, Progressive Development and Equal Justice. The larger vision behind the organization was the establishment of a Christian public school system in Ontario, to supplement the secular Public and catholic school systems already in operation across the province. [1]

Governance

The O.A.C.S. was governed by a Board of Directors [10 members] elected by the membership at the annual meeting in November. It was formally incorporated in 1984 and the Bylaws reflected a blend of Carver Governance principles as well as maxims drawn from the church order of the Reformed Churches, such as regional councils. The offices of the O.A.C.S. were first located in Sarnia, On. They moved to Hamilton in 1977 and were in Ancaster ON from 1984 to 2018. In 2002, at the 50th anniversary of the O.A.C.S., the Board worked with 8 Standing Committees and employed a staff of 18 professional educators.

History

The O.A.C.S. began on November 5, 1952 with the adoption of a temporary set of Bylaws by 19 representatives of seven school societies meeting in the First Christian Reformed Church of Hamilton, Ontario. In 1952, the O.A.C.S. membership had 2 schools [Holland Marsh and Hamilton], with 222 students, employing 6 teachers. In the 1950s, the O.A.C.S. Board concentrated on recruiting teachers and making sure that they were certified in Ontario. In the 1960s, a number of High Schools were added and attention focused on curriculum publications and teacher education. The plan was to set up a Christian Teacher's College. In the 1970s, attention shifted to advocacy and permanent staff was retained to lobby the provincial government through Education Minister William Davis. As Premier, the Hon. Wm. Davis was responsible for encouraging the Shapiro Commission Report in 1985, which recommended several funding mechanisms. In the 1980s, the Alliance staff was expanded in order to add promotion and development as a service. Publishing curriculum documents was a major budget focus, which expanded to include human resources and governance policies. During the 1990s the Alliance joined with the Canadian Jewish Congress to take the Ontario Government to Court over its unjust school funding policies. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled on the matter of funding in 1996, noting that it was a provincial jurisdiction subject to political whims. In 1999, the Conservative Government of Premier Harris provided funding for students with special needs in independent schools. In 2001, the Government, through Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, legislated the Equity in Education Tax Credit. This provided all tuition paying parents in private schools with a substantial rebate for tuition paid. The Tax Credit was repealed by the Liberal Government of Dalton McGuinty in 2004. In the period from 1997 to 2015 the O.A.C.S. concentrated on meeting the challenges of the internet and digital age. Small organizations do not have the deep pockets necessary to convert all their print resources and their techniques to the whimsical demands of the social media age. In July 2018, the Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools was dissolved by the membership. It was replaced by a new organization, the Edvance Christian Schools Association, located in Burlington, Ontario.

Member Schools in 2016

Elementary:

Secondary:

Combined Elementary and Secondary:

Day Care:

University:

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References

  1. ↑ Guldemond, Adrian (2014). inspired by Vision...Constrained by Tradition. Education: Monarch. p. 451. ISBN   978-0-9939075-0-0.
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