Casey: Dexter Government Waging War On Education
Liberal education critic Karen Casey says that the Dexter government’s decision to cut $13.4 million plus cost and wage increases from education funding will hurt students and will not help our education system adequately address students’ needs.
“This government seems content to wage war on the education system by cutting more than $50 million from the system in two years,” says Casey. “When we balance the books on the backs of students and families we are setting our children up to fail.”
Casey says that the Dexter government’s claim that classes will not be impacted because of the loss of funding associated with 2,200 fewer students is false and misleading – less than one student per class is leaving the system.
“2,200 fewer students doesn’t change the number of buses we will need and it doesn’t make heating our schools any cheaper,” says Casey. “These cuts will impact students, the classroom and it will hurt student outcomes.”
Casey is worried because the Dexter government’s announcement said more cuts are coming in 2013-2014.
“The Dexter government has already done enough damage to our education system – we have lost an essential literacy program, we have fewer teachers and fewer teaching assistants and we have larger class sizes,” says Casey. “The Dexter government is missing the point by funding our education system based on student enrollment – we need to base funding on what programs are necessary to meet student needs.”
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