Increase Classroom Support Staff and Specialists - Question Period
MS. CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. The call from parents and teachers for increased supports in the classroom has been loud and clear for years. The Commission on Inclusive Education has recommended the hiring of additional education specialists and support staff for the coming school year, starting in September. This recommendation cannot have come as a surprise to government.
Will the minister explain what his government has done to ensure we will have trained specialists and support staff in classrooms this September?
HON. ZACH CHURCHILL » : Of course, that recommendation did not come as a surprise. That's why we had budgeted $15 million in our budget to execute those recommendations that we knew were coming forward from the Commission on Inclusive Education.
Those dollars will be spent to hire professionals, behavioural supports, autism supports, and specialists that we know the system needs, that our teachers need, and that our students need. For training as well - two thirds of our teachers have told us that we have not been providing them with what they need in terms of training to deal with the diverse needs of our classrooms. We will be announcing very soon what those supports will look like in the coming school year.
MS. CHENDER « » : We are looking for specifics, so I look forward to hearing those.
The commission is very clear that, to meet the intended goals, specialist positions must be filled. The commission also gives clear direction on key actions for implementing its recommendations. Phase I of those recommendations includes establishing an institute for inclusive education, developing Cape Breton- and Halifax-based intensive treatment programs, and starting research into evidence-based practices for MTSS. As far as anyone can tell, this government is not pursuing any of those key Phase I actions.
Since the government is not following the commission's plan for implementation, will the minister table his timeline and plan for implementing the commission's recommendations?
MR. CHURCHILL « » : In fact, we have been very clear. We are accepting the recommendations of the report and pursuing all their objectives. If there is anybody who is not supporting these recommendations, it would be the Parties that are voting against the budget that we have in place to actually fund these important initiatives, Mr. Speaker.
If the members opposite actually want to support a change in our education system, then they should start voting for these budgets. We are going to see changes and impacts to our students that are going to impact their outcomes and well-being in our education system.
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