Updates on Critical Issues

Last month the provincial government announced sweeping changes to education funding that will have a huge impact on every public school teacher in the province.

So far, the government has said it will:

• Essentially cut K-12 funding by keeping direct financing of education to less than the rate of inflation and limit the amounts school boards can raise through taxation.

• Freeze salaries of school staff, including teachers, for two years and limit increases for another two years after that.

• Institute a system of provincial bargaining whereby most, if not all, collective bargaining is done at a central table.

• Implement a full review of the education system that the province says will lead to the most profound changes in a generation.

While details of some of the changes are still unclear, it is apparent that the immediate changes will come at a cost to teachers and students.