Teacher reduction concerns ‘not accurate’: Currie
Opposition MLA Steven Myers says he is hearing some rural schools facing deep cuts to teachers for the fall
Concerns being raised about teacher reductions coming to rural schools in the fall are misinformed, says Education Minister Doug Currie.
Principals in the 56 schools across P.E.I. have been given their preliminary teacher allocations for the 2017-18 school year by the Public Schools Branch. Those figures are not being released at this time.
Currie says that’s because schools still have an opportunity to go back to the Public Schools Branch to negotiate and discuss any additional staffing needs.
“There seems to be some confusion because these are very preliminary numbers to start the staffing process,” Currie said.
“We’re right in the middle of all this discussion right now.”
Government has committed to retain the same number of teaching positions within the province’s education system for the coming school year, but the number of teachers each school is assigned is based mainly on enrolment.
Opposition education critic Steven Myers says he has heard from several school principals who say they were told not to publicly share their teacher allocation numbers but who are highly concerned about reductions to their proposed staffing complements for the fall.
A majority of the schools that may be losing teachers are rural schools, Myers says, freeing up more teachers for city schools facing overcrowding.
“I went to all of those public meetings right across the Island, and what I heard was people were looking for more resources, access to more teachers, smaller class sizes,” Myers said, referencing the recent school review process.
“When you go into a family of schools and lop out 10 fulltime equivalents (positions), it flies directly in the face of what was presented at any of those meetings.”
Myers says he is concerned schools that may lose teaching positions could lead to fewer programs available to students.
“It could have a sweeping negative effect on some of these school systems.”
But Currie says these concerns are “not accurate.”
He noted schools and the Public Schools Branch will continue to have discussions over the next weeks on staffing needs within classrooms. If a significant need is identified, the Public Schools Branch may then go to government to ask for more positions.
This happened last year, which led to government to add 27 more educational assistants (EAs) and English as an additional language (EAL) specialists to the education system.
Currie says government would be open to such a request, especially if there are needs related to class composition.
He rejected any suggestion rural schools are being targeted.
“Government committed to rural communities and schools, and we’re going to resource them and staff them accordingly,” he said.
“Right now the staffing process is just in mid-flight. It’s only early on. And this is no different than any other year.”
But Myers says “deep cuts” proposed in some schools mean they are starting staffing discussions at a disadvantage.
“Even if it’s preliminary, you’re giving them a number and you’re forcing them to negotiate from a deficit position.”
He was also critical of the fact principals were told by government they could not tell their teachers what the allocation numbers are until next week.