Flanked by teachers and parents in Indian Head, Saskatchewan New Democrat Leader Ryan Meili announced an additional $3 million in investments for rural education, over and above the $125 million in staffing investments he committed to yesterday.
Meili Commits $3 Million for Rural Education Strategy
“Every child should thrive in the classroom, no matter their postal code. But Scott Moe and the Sask. Party have ignored rural schools for years,” said Meili. “A New Democrat government would form a Rural Education Task Force to develop a strategy to meet the needs of rural students – like more development professionals in the classroom, more busses on the road and more anti-bullying initiatives – and invest $3 million to improve outcomes in rural classrooms.”
The Saskatchewan New Democrats have announced millions in increased funding for schools, the majority of which would be used to hire more teachers, Educational Assistants and caretakers. Today, they announced a further $3 million dedicated to addressing the unique needs of rural schools.
An NDP government would form a Rural Education Task Force to work with teachers, parents and local leadership to identify needs in rural schools and use today’s $3 million commitment to make targeted investments in services. These could include:
- Helping schools recruit and retain support positions like speech language pathologists, child psychologists, occupational therapists and counsellors;
- Expanding access to safe, affordable transportation options in rural communities;
- Supporting classroom complexity and ensuring rural teachers have the tools they need to help their students; and
- Working with school communities to create anti-racism and anti-bullying initiatives.
Meili noted that an NDP government would also undertake a feasibility study to examine the need for a new high school in White City to accommodate growth in communities on the east side of Regina and address capacity pressures at Greenall Highschool in Balgonie.