Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley announced her government will hire 4,000 more teachers and 3,000 educational assistants over the next four years. .“We will invest more than $700 million into our classrooms,” said Notley at a Friday press conference. .“This will take a major step towards reversing the UCP (United Conservative Party) devastation imposed on our classrooms and the children and students inside them.” .Notley started off by saying she believes Alberta’s greatest resource is its people. If people want to build a future for the province, she said the government needs to spend money on education. .The Alberta NDP commissioned a report from former ATB Financial Chief Economist Todd Hirsch on how to best use resource wealth. Hirsch listed education as one of the top areas for the province to spend money on. .Notley accused Alberta Premier Danielle Smith of not understanding that. Since 2019, 36,000 students entered schools, but there are fewer teachers. .Notley has visited schools and asked teachers how they're doing with the increasing number of students. The teachers have broken down in tears. .Notley described the UCP’s cuts to education as cruel. She said they were “incompetent, and to be clear, they were carried out in an effort to starve our public schools and force more families to turn elsewhere.” .While the UCP wants to cut, she said she believes public education is the great equalizer. An NDP government will deliver on that..Notley said people can trust her to deliver on the commitment, because she believes in public education..The NDP leader went on to say restoring the teachers and EAs will help to reduce class sizes. She said it will “ensure every student gets the attention they need to learn all that they can to better prepare them for the future.” .“Put simply, smaller class sizes are better for our kids, better for our teachers, and better for our future,” she said. .Alberta NDP candidate Sarah Hoffman (Edmonton-Glenora) said the UCP has under-resourced schools and students. .“Now I hear from parents who are deeply concerned about overcrowded classrooms,” said Hoffman. .“And for those kids who are struggling, they are not getting the support they need, and they’re falling further and further behind.” .Despite having more students in education than when the UCP formed government, she said there are not enough teachers and EAs. Alberta is 2,000 teachers short of what it needs. .The Western Standard attempted to ask Notley questions, but the NDP press secretary refused the request. The press secretary accused it of spreading hate speech. .UCP candidate Adriana LaGrange (Red Deer-North) accused the NDP of spreading misinformation about education. .“The UCP is making record investments in education with a growing budget of over $8.8 billion for the upcoming school year, which equals $44 million for every day that students are in school,” said LaGrange. .“Even though this is more than the NDP ever spent on education, we have forecast a total increase of funding of $1.8 billion over the next three years.” .She said she's proud the UCP is leading the country in post-pandemic learning loss recovery, whereas the NDP would have shuttered schools, kept children masked, and delayed a return to the classroom. She asked it to do its homework before going out with these attacks. .The UCP said in February it was securing Alberta’s future with historic spending in education to match increasing enrolment in schools..READ MORE: BUDGET 2023: Record dollars flow into education.Budget 2023 sees it commit to providing the support and services students need to succeed and the resources schools require to support teachers and their staff..It increases the operating budget for education by about $2 billion over the next three years. That will support hiring up to 3,000 education staff.
Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley announced her government will hire 4,000 more teachers and 3,000 educational assistants over the next four years. .“We will invest more than $700 million into our classrooms,” said Notley at a Friday press conference. .“This will take a major step towards reversing the UCP (United Conservative Party) devastation imposed on our classrooms and the children and students inside them.” .Notley started off by saying she believes Alberta’s greatest resource is its people. If people want to build a future for the province, she said the government needs to spend money on education. .The Alberta NDP commissioned a report from former ATB Financial Chief Economist Todd Hirsch on how to best use resource wealth. Hirsch listed education as one of the top areas for the province to spend money on. .Notley accused Alberta Premier Danielle Smith of not understanding that. Since 2019, 36,000 students entered schools, but there are fewer teachers. .Notley has visited schools and asked teachers how they're doing with the increasing number of students. The teachers have broken down in tears. .Notley described the UCP’s cuts to education as cruel. She said they were “incompetent, and to be clear, they were carried out in an effort to starve our public schools and force more families to turn elsewhere.” .While the UCP wants to cut, she said she believes public education is the great equalizer. An NDP government will deliver on that..Notley said people can trust her to deliver on the commitment, because she believes in public education..The NDP leader went on to say restoring the teachers and EAs will help to reduce class sizes. She said it will “ensure every student gets the attention they need to learn all that they can to better prepare them for the future.” .“Put simply, smaller class sizes are better for our kids, better for our teachers, and better for our future,” she said. .Alberta NDP candidate Sarah Hoffman (Edmonton-Glenora) said the UCP has under-resourced schools and students. .“Now I hear from parents who are deeply concerned about overcrowded classrooms,” said Hoffman. .“And for those kids who are struggling, they are not getting the support they need, and they’re falling further and further behind.” .Despite having more students in education than when the UCP formed government, she said there are not enough teachers and EAs. Alberta is 2,000 teachers short of what it needs. .The Western Standard attempted to ask Notley questions, but the NDP press secretary refused the request. The press secretary accused it of spreading hate speech. .UCP candidate Adriana LaGrange (Red Deer-North) accused the NDP of spreading misinformation about education. .“The UCP is making record investments in education with a growing budget of over $8.8 billion for the upcoming school year, which equals $44 million for every day that students are in school,” said LaGrange. .“Even though this is more than the NDP ever spent on education, we have forecast a total increase of funding of $1.8 billion over the next three years.” .She said she's proud the UCP is leading the country in post-pandemic learning loss recovery, whereas the NDP would have shuttered schools, kept children masked, and delayed a return to the classroom. She asked it to do its homework before going out with these attacks. .The UCP said in February it was securing Alberta’s future with historic spending in education to match increasing enrolment in schools..READ MORE: BUDGET 2023: Record dollars flow into education.Budget 2023 sees it commit to providing the support and services students need to succeed and the resources schools require to support teachers and their staff..It increases the operating budget for education by about $2 billion over the next three years. That will support hiring up to 3,000 education staff.
