For months, the NDP has been hearing concerns from parents and teachers throughout the Prairie Sprit School Division and those concerns have been exacerbated by the recent announcement that, due to a lack of proper funding from the Sask. Party, 74 positions will be cut.
“This is a government that has a track record of cutting and scaling back necessary funds and resources from school divisions and this a government that walked away from their commitment to pay teachers what they promised,” said NDP Education Critic Carla Beck. “What this government doesn’t understand is that these cuts have a detrimental effect on our kid’s classrooms and restricts teachers ability to give students the attention they need.”
Kate Kading, a mother from Rosthern, has been advocating for proper funding in the town’s school since before the provincial budget was revealed.
“Rosthern is a beautiful, inclusive, hardworking community where a solid group of educators and parents are trying to work together to provide the best we can for our children,” she said. “It feels like the government is working against us when they make these cuts without understanding how it will affect actual children.”
Trina Miller is another resident with concerns because she has a 17 year old daughter with developmental delays and speech apraxia. She, too, is feeling the effects of the government’s unwillingness to provide the school division with proper funding as the cuts will mean fewer educational supports will be in place for her and other students.
“I, for the life of me, cannot fathom how rational people with an ounce of common sense can decide that cutting supports to the most fundamentally vulnerable members of our society, our special needs and at risk children, would be an acceptable thing,” Miller said.
Beck said it’s extremely difficult hearing some of the stories that have been coming in from parents throughout the province, but hopes they will serve as a wakeup call to this government and will keep its commitments and ensure proper funding is put in place.