The Education Minister says a figure can’t yet be placed on the operational efficiencies that will result from rolling the English School District into the Department of Education, but the efficiencies are there.
Tom Osborne says whatever money is saved will be re-invested into the school system, rather than administration. In the last 20 years, the education budget has doubled, yet Osborne can’t say that the province has seen a corresponding result in educational outcomes.
District CEO Tony Stack says there is a lot of uncertainty among the staff at the school district, but his aim is to ensure those workers are treated fairly through the process. He says the ultimate structure that evolves here does benefit the children of the province.
In the meantime, government is looking at the possibility of doing the same with the French Language School District, but there are constitutional obligations there that make that more challenging.
NLTA See Some Positives But Budget Lacks Detail From Campaign Promises
(File photo: Dean Ingram, President of the NLTA.)
According to president Dean Ingram, there were three key commitments that were made to them during both Andrew Furey’s leadership bid and during the election campaign. These include retaining school guidance counsellor and administrator allocations, an independent review of the teacher allocation model, and reducing class size.
They were pleased to see the administrator/guidance counsellor allocation piece in the budget, however, they note that this is only a short-term measure.
As well, Ingram is seeking more information about the review of the teacher allocation model. He says that review is something that has to be conducted and that it’s “long overdue.” However, he has many questions about what that process will look like and how funds will be allocated to accommodate that process.
Tuition Freeze to Thaw Out Over 5 Years
(Photo courtesy Memorial University.)
The provincial government is looking to phase out the tuition offset for Memorial University over the next five years, and now the institution is looking at how to deal with that funding cut.
The tuition freeze will stay in place for this year, and MUN President Vianne Timmons says they will work with the provincial government as the funding is phased out.
According to Timmons, there are three principles that will guide the university in terms of tuition. They wish to keep MUN’s tuition on the lower side in Canada, they want to have support for students in need, and they want current tuition maintained for any students who have already enrolled or are in the process of doing so.
In the meantime, she’s willing to look at efficiencies from the top down but says there is “no way” they can endure that type of cut without raising tuition.
Canadian Federation of Students Disappointed
(Photo Facebook: Memorial University of Newfoundland)
Government says the provincial budget will provide Memorial University with a core operating grant of $237-million. However, next year, the funding model will be different, and that’s not sitting well with the Canadian Federation of Students – Newfoundland and Labrador.
Chairperson Katherine McLaughlin says they’re disappointed to see a clear commitment from government to back away from their promise to fund post-secondary education in the province.
The budget says government will enter a new agreement that will see the annual tuition offset to Memorial University eliminated over five years.
McLaughlin says that’s the most alarming thing. She says that’s combined with more autonomy for the university to regulate tuition, meaning that tuition will not only go up but subsidies go down, leading to a massive increase in tuition.
The federation believes the so-called plan is contradictory as the government is emphasizing the fact that it costs each student approximately $20,000 to complete their degree.
McLaughlin questions why government is not framing that as $20,000 that students aren’t retaining in debt. She says doubling student debt, then asking those same students to save the province is contradictory.
