And now, in the middle of a global pandemic, they have made it clear that they have no real plan to make sure our kids can return to school safely.
Saskatchewan New Democrats have worked with parents, educators and public health experts to come up with a plan to put our kids first. We will act quickly to invest the money needed to keep kids safe, and to make sure our education system is ready for the challenges ahead.
Ryan Meili and the New Democrats will invest in our schools and in the teachers and workers that make schools work.
We will also invest in childcare and early learning systems to ensure families are able to afford high-quality care when they start a family.
Our top priority in education is to get additional resources into classrooms immediately. We will stop the Sask. Party’s cuts and ensure that funding for education increases with enrolment, starting with an additional $150 million for schools.
- Help school divisions reduce class size, address classroom complexity and keep our schools safe with funding for 1,000 more teachers, 700 educational assistants and 400 caretakers.
- Provide funding for school divisions to hire 50 school-based Mental Health and Addiction Nurses and other mental health supports.
- Invest $3 million into a rural education strategy to ensure we meet the unique needs of small-town schools.
- Bring in affordable and accessible $25/day childcare, fix the childcare subsidy and create 2,200 new spaces each year to help struggling families.
- Eliminate interest from student loans, saving students and their families $4.8 million.
- Provide free tuition for kids leaving foster care.
- Restore funding to the Northern Teacher Education Program.
- Work with First Nations in Saskatchewan to ensure First Nation schools receive equal funding.