Kathleen Wynne
Kathleen Wynne was sworn in as Minister of Education on September 18, 2006, and again on October 30, 2007.
She was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 2003 and served as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education and to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. Prior to this, she served as a public school trustee in Toronto.
Since becoming minister, Ms. Wynne has led many improvements to Ontario's publicly funded education system, such as:
- Progress on smaller class sizes, higher test scores and higher graduation rates
- Increases to education funding and new targeted grants to improve student achievement – since 2003, education funding has increased by more than $5billion, which is an increase of more than $3,000 per student
- Legislative amendments and new investments to make schools safer and healthier
- The development of a more environment-focused curriculum
- The creation of the Minister’s Student Advisory Council
- The launch of the annual Premier's Awards for Teaching Excellence.
In her role as Parliamentary Assistant, Ms. Wynne facilitated the Parent Voice in Education Project, whose recommendations resulted in the first Ontario Parent Involvement Policy. She also co-chaired the Special Education Working Table to reform how students with special needs receive support in school, and conducted a provincewide review to improve adult education.
Premier McGuinty has called Minister Wynne the province's champion of public education. She leads the government's efforts to reduce class sizes in the primary grades, improve student achievement and provide more opportunities for high school students to graduate and reach their fullpotential.
Building on a lifetime of political activity and a career of service to youth, students and families, Ms. Wynne is a knowledgeable and passionate advocate of a strong publicly funded school system. She has played a major role as an organizer and facilitator, helping school communities grapple with education issues and leading citizens groups in a number of grassroots community projects.
Ms. Wynne holds a Master of Arts in linguistics from the University of Toronto (1980) and a Master of Education in adult education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (1995). She is also a trained mediator.
Ms. Wynne and her partner Jane live in North Toronto. She is the proud mother of three adult children, Chris, Jessie and Maggie and the doting grandmother of Olivia Jane.
Mailing Address:
The Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education, Mowat Block, 900 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario M7A 1L2, Canada.