Alberta NDP education critic says United Conservative government ignoring teacher shortage
Alberta NDP education critic Amanda Chapman said Friday the United Conservative government’s funding for school construction projects is a positive step forward but ignores the shortage of teachers caused by the lowest spending per student in Canada.
“The announcement of building new schools is a good thing, but it’s actually not going to help our kids who are in school right now,” Chapman told CHAT News ahead of a public town hall in Medicine Hat.
“We won’t be opening any new schools for at minimum three years. It takes three to five years to get a school up and running, and that’s a long time for kids who were in classrooms now who have needs that aren’t being met.”
Chapman, who serves as MLA for Calgary-Beddington, argued that more operational funding is needed per student so that support teachers and educational assistants can be hired to address classrooms struggling to meet the needs of every child.