LaGrange claims NDP misinformation about education funding

“Here are some numbers the NDP might want to jot down: In the 2019-20 school year, student enrolment was approximately 711,000. In the 2020-21 school year, student enrolment was 705,000 students. Despite this, in 2020-21, we funded 730,000 students under a new funding model despite these student numbers being over projected by school authorities.

“This is the first year we are seeing an increase in enrolment growth, and we have acted by implementing the student enrolment growth grant and additionally providing $820 million to support hiring approximately 3,000 teachers and support staff across the province.

“The budget also addresses class sizes by providing $126 million to school authorities to address class complexity and class sizes because we know local school boards know what is best for their local communities.

“The NDP is frantically trying to spread lies and misinformation in a desperate attempt to get elected, but it won’t work. Albertans are smart and they care about the truth. The NDP need to go do their homework.”

Meantime, the Opposition claims tens of thousands of students have entered Alberta schools under the UCP government without a single new teacher in place.

“Alberta schools are almost two thousand teachers short of what they need just to maintain student-teacher ratio our government had in 2019,” said Sarah Hoffman, Alberta NDP Education Critic, on Tuesday.

In 2019, when Rachel Notley was Premier, the Alberta NDP says there were 730,375 students in Alberta schools and 37,197 teachers.

Today, the Opposition claims Alberta’s student population has increased to 766,280, an increase of more than 35,000 students and fewer teachers.

“Over the last four years, more than 35,000 students have entered our schools without any additional teachers. That’s like more than all the students in Red Deer Public and Red Deer Catholic combined with no teachers,” said Hoffman.

In 2019, says the Opposition, there were about 19- and two-thirds students per teacher. To keep that student-teacher ratio today, the NDP says Alberta schools would need 1,977 more teachers.

The Alberta NDP suggests the UCP has deliberately starved Alberta schools for resources and underspent the Education budget by almost a billion dollars over the last two years, while also stopping the reporting of class sizes.

“Alberta families deserve better than Danielle Smith and the UCP who cannot be trusted with public education,” said Hoffman.

“We need a government that will invest in world-class education for Alberta students. This is absolutely critical for future innovators, health-care workers, scientists, skilled trades people, entrepreneurs of the future and the list goes on. A well-educated society will power our future economy.

“An Alberta NDP government will build new schools, we will hire more teachers to get class sizes under control and we will restore public reporting of class sizes.”

by rdnewsNOW Staff

LaGrange claims NDP misinformation about education funding

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