|
Opposition Education Critic and MHA for the District of Port de
Grave, Roland Butler, is once again asking the minister of
education to verify a reported reduction in support staff, this
time in schools across the province.
Late last month, the Liberal MHA requested a verification
from the minister of what changes were being undertaken for the
Newfoundland School for the Deaf, and if indeed the school was
slated for closure. At that time, the department responded in
the media that nothing could be further from the truth. Yet,
this week the minister announced a 75 per cent reduction in
staff at the School for the Deaf.
"This latest surfacing of reported school cuts involves
support staff such as secretaries and custodians. It is my
understanding that their hours have been reduced and that the
people involved were informed at the end of the school year,"
says Butler. "I would like the minister to explain exactly what
is happening and justify why she thinks these cuts are
necessary.
"The speculation is that these cuts are a result of
government’s elimination of school fees without providing
adequate funding to replace the money raised by schools in this
fashion. I don’t know if this is indeed the source of the
problem, but it is incumbent on the minister to clarify the
matter. She needs to explain why the number of hours for these
positions are being reduced and whether this is occurring in one
board area or if it is something that is happening across the
province?"
The Liberal MHA stresses the importance of support staff to
the operation of a school and that any reduction will have a
negative impact on both the students and teachers and how
schools function come September.
"It is not good enough for the minister to try and avoid
taking responsibility for what is occurring in the school
system. If there are cuts happening, she ought to be aware of
them and have a clear understanding of how it impacts on the
education of children and on the working lives of teachers. It
is time the minister realized she is accountable and ultimately
responsible for every decision which affects the educational
system. It is also time for the minister to be up-front on
government’s downsizing, rather than denying and then later
trying to rejig it as a new staffing model, as was pathetically
attempted at the School for the Deaf."
|