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Budget of false expectations for education March 30, 2006
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Roland Butler, Opposition Education Critic and MHA for the District of Port
De Grave, says while he is pleased with some of the funding allocated to
education in this year’s budget, the funding falls far short of what is
needed. "There is a lot of smoke and mirrors in these announcements today," said Mr. Butler. "This budget is a well-crafted public relations document, but when you look at the details it does not live up to expectations. For example, the government claims to be retaining 151 teachers, while in reality they have taken close to 500 teachers out of the classrooms of this province over the past two years." The opposition critic also says the school fees announcement is less clear than it might initially seem. "There is no clear definition of exactly what a school fee is and what is to be eliminated by this announcement. In September, I expect a lot of people will be disappointed when they still have to dip into their pockets and pay various fees related to school attendance that will not be covered by the amount announced today. Parents will still be responsible for the cost of school books, and in many cases it is not unusual for parents with two high school children to spend upwards of $1,000 on school books. "The announcement of funds for new school busses is also a half measure and will not fully address the real problems that exist in terms of school bus safety. As an opposition, we have been calling not only for increased funding, but also for a review of the regulations related to safety inspections and the way tenders are called for this service in some school boards. We need a total review of school bus safety in this province. "I am also disappointed with the lack of attention in the budget related to libraries in this province. There are currently 28 requests for new libraries and the funding announced in this budget is a drop in the bucket compared to what is needed. Despite the glossy presentation and all the chest thumping by the Minister of Finance, there are still a large number of serious problems which have not been addressed in our education system."
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