Budget cut could close 70 schools

Thousands of jobs will disappear and schools will close if the Nova Scotia government goes ahead with proposed cuts of close to $200 million, say school board representatives.

The boards were asked by provincial officials in October to determine what the impact of such a cut over three years would be to public education. On Tuesday, officials from the Nova Scotia School Boards Association met with government representatives, including Education Minister Marilyn More and deputy premier Frank Corbett.

"We're looking at a real regression in what we expect the education system to achieve," said Vic Fleury, the president of the Nova Scotia School Boards Association.

"There's a suggestion that we're looking at going back several decades in our format and what we present."

The scenario, which proposes cuts totalling as much as 22 per cent of the total education budget over three years, would mean up to 70 small schools could be closed, said board officials.

Opposition concerned

It could also mean the layoff of 300 bus drivers and janitors, 600 support staff teachers' assistants and student workers and as many as 2,000 classroom teachers.

"People like speech language pathologists, immersion specialists, psychologists, severe learning disability specialists, guidance teachers we're talking about a massive, massive hit to the education budget," said Kelly Regan, the Liberal education critic.

Fleury, who sits on the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board, said the cuts would set the education system back by about 30 years and the impact would be felt by students.

"We're talking larger class sizes, we're talking about the loss of support programs for students with special needs and it's devastating, it really is."

Fleury said he hoped the budget cutting exercise would help the government look for another way to balance its books.

According to figures provided by the provincial Department of Education, more money has gone into education in the last decade even though the system now serves 35,000 fewer students than 10 years ago.

An education department spokesperson said it's too early to say if the cuts will be as deep as the ones proposed.