P.E.I. teachers, parents plan rally over cuts

Parents and teachers are expected to gather at Province House in Charlottetown Sunday afternoon to protest cuts to education on Prince Edward Island.

The rally is being organized by Islanders Against the 2014 Cuts to Education, a group of parents and community members.

The P.E.I. government has cut 32 teaching positions for the upcoming school year. Thatmeans more than 100 positions have been chopped in the past three years.

• Dozens of teacher positions cut for coming school year

Marcella Bradley-Byrne, president of the Home and School Association at Morell Consolidated School, said students on the Island are not getting the education they deserve because too many teaching positions are disappearing.

"The rally is a way to get people interested, to get people to realize that there is a concern and to show that we are not happy with these decisions," said Bradley-Byrne, one of the organizers.

She also worries that some smaller schools willclose because of a lack of resources.

The P.E.I. Teachers Federation is encouraging its members to attend the rally, which begins at 2 p.m.. The organization's president, Gilles Arsenault, is expected to speak on behalf of teachers.

The federation has also warned its members not to say anything critical about the school boards or the government because that could lead to disciplinary action.

The superintendent of the English Language School Board declined to be interviewed on Friday, saying it's a matter for the teachers' federation.

In May, Cynthia Fleet said fewer teachers means more multi-grade classrooms.

The minister of education was not available to speak on Friday.