NSTU troubled about province's research pilot project

HALIFAX, June 26, 2013 /CNW/ - NSTU president Shelley Morse is concerned that the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development through its recent announcement of the Mathematics Engagement Pilot Project is abdicating its public education responsibilities.

"Government has taken $65 million out of the public education purse in the last two years. It is their responsibility to adequately fund public education to ensure all students are provided with the resources to engage and motivate them," says Morse.

The research pilot announced yesterday sees private business as partial funders of the project along with investment from Government. "School boards have been struggling to balance budgets and cutting staff and resources. The money the province is putting forward could be better spent in reducing class sizes and providing adequate resources for every classroom," continues Morse. "Cuts over the last two years have dramatically harmed our children's public education experience."

The Nova Scotia Teachers Union and other education partners, the Nova Scotia Federation of Home and Schools Association (NSFHSA) and la Fédération des parents acadiens de la Nouvelle-Écosse (FPANE), have been encouraging the public to tell elected officials to stand up for education and make sustainable public school funding a top issue in the upcoming provincial election through www.StandForEducation.ca.

The Nova Scotia Teachers Union represents more than 10,000 public school teachers, Community College faculty and professional support staff in Nova Scotia, and teachers who work for the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Since 1895, it has worked to improve the quality of public education for children and youth in Nova Scotia, while promoting and advancing the teaching profession.

SOURCE: Nova Scotia Teachers Union

Angela Murray, NSTU Public Relations Coordinator
(Mobile) 902-497-0194, [email protected], @NSTeachersUnion.