Meili made the announcement outside of Empire School and was joined by NDP Moose Jaw Wakamow candidate Melissa Patterson and NDP Moose Jaw Wakamow candidate Kyle Lichtenwald along with a handful of local supporters.
“Moose Jaw is a city that I love and it’s a city that’s been let down by the Sask Party for many years,” Meili said. “The people of Moose Jaw have seen nothing but deep cuts and clawbacks from the Sask Party, poor representation from their local MLAs and cuts in the classroom.
“All the teachers have been forced to do more with less. We all remember the $54 million cut out of our classrooms in 2017, hundreds of dollars less per student, making the lives of teachers, parents and the kids they support much more difficult. That was before the pandemic hit. Cuts to education were a bad idea at any time, but right now they’re downright dangerous.”
Meili pointed to current classroom sizes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic as a major concern, especially with the recent decision by the Sask government to reduce public gatherings to 15 or fewer.
“Well, we have classrooms here of 30 kids, 35, 40, and there’s been no changes to class sizes, none of the investments necessary to give them the support to succeed,” Meili said. “And those reckless cuts have taken a toll on our school divisions as well. The Prairie South School Division, for example, was forced to cut janitorial staff this summer. Imagine that, what a difficult choice that must have been, to let go cleaning staff in the middle of a pandemic. Staff whose work is more important than ever to keep our schools safe, and the additional burden it puts on teachers who are already doing far more than they should have to in classrooms that haven’t been supported.”
Comments by Sask Party MLA Tim McLeod this past summer in regards to the lack of funding increases were touched on by Meili, who quoted McLeod — then a school board trustee — as saying "We did not receive a meaningful increase in our funding for next year, which means we’re trying to do our best work better than each year previous with only the same amount of money. I believe we’re applying a bandaid where surgery is required."
“Even the Sask Party’s own candidate recognized the damage their cuts have done and will continue to do,” Meili said.
Former teacher Alan Stange comments on the NDP’s plans for class sizes and teacher hiring.Retired teacher Alan Stange also offered his concerns over situation.
“I’m retired now and would like to be subbing and I’m not at the moment because I’m quite concerned with the conditions in our classrooms,” he said. “Every one of us has been in a classroom in our lives, and we know that recommendations for social distancing are just aspirational, there is no social distancing, there are no bubbles in a public classroom or a public school and that concerns me deeply.
“What Ryan said speaks to my heart and everything I was thinking about saying with you today. And I’m hoping that after 13 years of teachers and staff struggling with conditions in the classroom and the need to deal with the differences and the demands that are being asked on us, we can have a government that can actually listen and respond to students and families as well.”
The NDP’s plan to remedy the situation would see funding increases to hire 1,000 more teachers, 750 educational assistants and 400 custodial staff, on top of continued funding increases with enrollment each year.
“This election we’re able to give the people of Moose Jaw a clear choice, the choice between the Sask Party’s plan for austerity, which we know means more deep cuts, more crowded classrooms,” Meili said. “Our plan is to help kids learn, make sure they have the teachers, EAs and the support they need to keep classes safe.”
