As COVID-19 cases increase in Saskatchewan, New Democrat candidate for Saskatoon Eastview Matt Love stood with Educational Assistant and parent Tracy Lyons to highlight the need for smaller class sizes in Saskatchewan’s schools.
Love: NDP Will Make Class Sizes Smaller, Stop Moe’s Dangerous Cuts During a Pandemic
“Rising COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan are a real concern. But as a teacher, I know classrooms were overcrowded even before the pandemic – especially after the Sask. Party cut $54 million from our schools,” said Love. “Students deserve better than Scott Moe’s dangerous cuts to classrooms during a pandemic. New Democrats will invest in what matters most – the safety of our kids.”
Love committed that a Saskatchewan New Democratic Party government would work quickly with parents, school divisions, teachers and public health officials to make schools safer by:
- Investing $125 million to reduce class sizes by hiring 1,000 more teachers, 700 educational assistants and 400 caretakers.
- Providing clearer, more consistent guidelines for schools in response to potential outbreaks.
- Working with school divisions and community organizations to identify spaces close to existing schools that could be used for instructional purposes and further reduce the chance of outbreaks.
“Under Scott Moe, teachers, parents and school communities were left to deal with the worst back-to-school plan in Canada. That’s not good enough,” said Love. “It’s why more and more people in my constituency are telling me that they just can’t trust Scott Moe this time. It’s time for a change – to put people first.”