Ontario’s Education Minister insists school boards are receiving more money, not less.
The provincial government revealed last Friday the amount of money school boards can expect for the next school year.
At Queen’s Park, Minister Lisa Thompson blames the NDP of fear mongering by suggesting the almost $25-billion amounts to a cut and will lead to job loss.
“I am going to stand in this House every day and put an end to the nonsense that we are hearing from the members of the opposition party,” says Thompson. “We’re talking about people’s livelihoods. We’re talking about people’s jobs. Shame on you for all the anxiety and all of the fearmongering you’re causing throughout Ontario because the fact of the matter is this: We’re increasing spending in education.”
NDP leader Andrea Horwath says the province is not funding to the inflation which amounts to an inflationary reduction.
“The Premier can’t stick his head in the sand and claim that students are fearmongering or that the opposition is fearmongering,” says Horwath. “These classroom cuts are real. They are hurting students, and they are damaging those students’ futures.”
Thompson notes the funding includes $1.6 billion in attrition protection funding to protect teachers from being laid off as a result of changes in class room size and the move to e-learning.
