Learning fund is focus of meeting
Published Friday July 3rd, 2009
FREDERICTON - New Brunswick teachers are hoping to convince the Liberal government today to undo controversial changes introduced by former education minister Kelly Lamrock.
Brent Shaw, president of the New Brunswick Teachers Association, will ask Lamrock's replacement, Roland Haché, in a meeting this morning to scrap the $5-million Innovative Learning Fund, a program favoured by the former minister that provides grants for specialized education projects.
The money saved by eliminating the fund could be used to reverse $2.9 million in cuts by Lamrock to library assistants and other school support staff, teachers have said.
"It is doing just about the least amount of good for the most amount of money," Shaw said of the fund. "We're very disappointed with the former minister's position of protecting it at all costs."
Education spokeswoman Hilary Casey confirmed last week that the learning fund has been frozen while the department re-examines its budget. She said no decisions will be made until the new minister has the opportunity to meet with the program's stakeholders and review spending.
If the support staff cuts are kept in place, more than 300 library assistants, teacher assistants and behavioural intervention workers will be laid off next year and nearly 300 more will have their hours significantly reduced, according to the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the workers.
The province's teachers have been calling for the Liberal government to scrap the learning fund ever since Lamrock announced cuts would be necessary to balance this year's budget.
Opposition leader David Alward, who has also been calling for the Grits to reverse the cuts, says the change needs to be made soon.
"It's up to the minister to move quickly, so that the poor decision made earlier can be reversed," said the Progressive Conservative MLA for Woodstock.
Shaw said the learning fund is a good idea in principle, but hardly the most effective use of limited resources. In 2008-2009, the fund supplied about $5 million for 502 projects in the anglophone school sector and 189 projects in the francophone school sector.
The program invests in projects led by teachers, schools and school districts, and can cost anywhere from $2,500 to $40,000.
The projects have ranged in scope from the development of an online newspaper to the creation of an after-school program to improve literacy and math.
Lamrock cut $1.65 million from the fund last spring, but ruled out eliminating the program entirely.
The Liberal MLA for Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak, who is now the minister of Social Development, has defended the fund as a way to encourage new teaching methods and reward creative thinking.
The province's education budget for 2009-10 is $963 million, an increase of $21 million over last year. But because of an increase in teacher wages under the new collective agreement and the cost of hiring about 200 new teachers, Lamrock still needed to slash $23.8 million in spending.
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I understand your frustration but the $56 raise recently announced for ER doctors was required to bring their wages and benefits up to a level that was somewhat competitive with surrounding provinces. Like it or not, it's a free labour market and if you want to attract scarce workers (ERP's in this case) you need to offer competitive wages.
It would also be worth a thorough review of the expenses of the department of education to see if there is any fat that can be trimmed there... I am betting like every other government department, the answer is yes.
If this minister chooses to listen to the NBTA and the public who have been so vocal about these cuts, and the whole issue now looming around bus transportation, it is then our job to ensure that the school districts reinstate those workers who were laid off. Be sure to call the district office and ask them if they have.