NDP: Enough with the political games, it’s time to put money back into our classrooms

QUEEN’S PARK – NDP Shadow Minister for Education MPP Chandra Pasma (Ottawa West – Nepean) was joined by parents, students, educators and union leaders, to urge the Ford government to stop ignoring the reality in our classrooms and invest in our children’s future:

“Our kids are struggling,” said Pasma. “Students in Grade 3 and 6, whose EQAO results came out last week, have only known an education system under Premier Ford. They have only known Ministers of Education who have taken $6.8 billion out of our schools.

“Instead of listening to families and education experts, Minister Paul Calandra is funneling money out of classrooms and into the hands of Conservative insiders. First, they appointed inexperienced Conservative insiders making $350,000 a year to ignore phone calls from parents. Now, they’re talking about paying more insiders $1,500 a day to review these results. Here’s some free advice: put that money back into our classrooms.

“The results speak for themselves. Years of funding cuts under Doug Ford have led us here. Instead of creating cushy political appointments for people with no experience or qualifications that let them make all of the decisions for our kids, those resources should be directed to where they belong: into our classrooms, and not the pockets of Conservative insiders.

“The Minister must stop sidelining parents and students, end the power grab, and put real investments back into our classrooms.”