Bigger classes, fewer teachers as budget trims school system

Children in Newfoundland and Labrador will seebigger or combined classrooms next year, thanks to cost-cutting moves announced in the provincial budget on Thursday.

Maximum class sizes across the province will increase for Grades 4-9, and children in 70 primary schools could find themselves in mixed-level classes come September.

The changes, estimated to save more than $14 million, are part of a wide range of cuts and tax hikes introduced in Thursday's budget as the government tries to wrangle with a huge revenue drop.

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Education Minister Dale Kirby defended the changes on Thursday, saying multi-gradeclassrooms are used across Canada, and the increased class sizes will not negatively impact children.

"There's really no clear evidence that caps such as these [have] any detrimental effect at all on educational outcomes," he claimed.

"Will it be additional pressure when it comes to classroom management? Yes."

'Drastic impact', say teachers

JimDinn, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers Association, says the classroom changes are going to make it harder for teachers to work effectively.

"This budget is going to have a drastic impact, I think, on teachers' ability to deliver thecurriculum," he said from theConfederation Building lobby.

"It's going to make it a lotmore challenging."

Starting in September, Grades 4-6 classrooms will hold up to 28 students. Up to 31 will be allowed in Grades 7-9 classrooms.

The province saidonly children from consecutive years for example, Grade 4 and 5 will share a classroom, which would be ledby one teacher.

Kirby said some of the new combined classrooms will be inside the St. John's area, but no definitive list has yet been created.

We have to live within our means- Dale Kirby

About 160 teaching positions will be eliminated as part of the changes.

Althoughthat will be partially offset by the introduction of all-day Kindergarten, 61 teaching jobs will gone.

'Education deficit'

Dinn said that full-day Kindergarten was being brought in at the expense of the rest of the school system.

The Government also trimmed the education budget by reducing school supply budgets, eliminating lunch time bussing, and cutting back on professional development budgets for teachers.

"We have to live within our means," Kirby defended. "There were many other options we could have pursued."

"We didn't re-introduce school fees. We didn't put other sources of pressures like that on parents."

Dinn questioned the wisdom of the cuts, despite the massive revenue challenge the province is facing.

He said the NTLA wanted more investment into resources for inclusive education and children with special needs.

"Have we just simply taken a financial deficit and now turned it into an education deficit?" he asked.