The Liberal MHA says that he is not aware of any study that has been done to demonstrate that savings can be achieved though reducing the number of boards as the Premier suggested in a news conference early last week.

"In the past, when we had more than one board covering the same area, there was more of a financial argument to be made for reducing the number of boards," said Reid. "I believe we are currently in a situation where boards have been reduced to the absolute minimum to realize maximum efficiency. Given the geography and population distribution of our province, further reducing the number of boards will substantially increase travel and logistical costs. Would a reduction of boards actually save government money and improve our education system?"

The Education Critic believes the impact of further restructuring on the quality of education must be considered.

"If specialists have longer travel times and administrators are not as familiar with what is happening in individual schools, it could result in decisions being made that fail to take into account local circumstances. This could leave a negative effect on the delivery of education to our students province-wide.

"To prevent unnecessary service disruptions associated with restructuring the education system, I would like to see evidence supporting reorganization and reduction of school boards before any decisions are taken by this government. It is important for this government to realize that quality education must remain a top priority in our province."