OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF NOVA SCOTIA FROM VIC FLEURY, PRESIDENT, NOVA
SCOTIA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION - PUBLIC EDUCATION: WHY IS IT COSTING MORE?

DARMOUTH, NS, Dec. 7 /CNW/ - The enrolment in Nova Scotia's public schools has been steadily declining for many years and will continue to do so. Despite this decline, the overall cost of public education has continued to rise.  Although on the surface this may seem to be a contradiction, there are valid reasons why this is the case.

The public school system is a shared responsibility between the Province/Department of Education and the eight school boards.  While boards can and do influence decisions on programming for students, it is the Department of Education that establishes the Public School Program (PSP).  It is important to note that school boards have advocated for, and support many of the new programs in our schools; however, the Department of Education alone has the authority to delete or change existing programs and services.

Before explaining the reasons for rising costs, it should be noted that each year there is, in fact, a deduction from public education funding based on declining student enrolment. There are, however, key factors in our education delivery system that have prevented a cost decrease consistent with student decline.  Class composition is a major contributor as schools are seeing an increasing number of students with special needs such as autism and other learning challenges requiring Individual Program Plans and more intense and diverse interventions.

We still cover the same geography in the province, so while there are fewer students to transport, the same roads must be travelled.  In addition, the amount of school square footage has not decreased with enrolment decline and new schools are often larger than the schools they replace due to new standards.  School closures in the case of small populations are difficult under the current system and even successful closures take years to achieve.

While the average increase due to cost pressures has been about 3.5 per cent annually, the boards have received additional funding from the Department of Education for new initiatives such as Learning for Life I and II, which provided increased teaching resources for a wide variety of program initiatives such as class size caps at the lower elementary grades to improve class sizes, Options and Opportunities programs at the high school level and supports for literacy and math instruction, to name a few. As well, additional funding has been provided to improve the ratios for Core Professional Services (psychologists, speech-language pathologists, learning disability specialists and resource teachers) to support our most vulnerable students.

The education program being delivered in today's public schools is far different than it was just 14 years ago when the regional school boards were formed.  These additional funds have improved the situation for students in our schools, but Nova Scotia still has one of the lowest per pupil funding rates in the country.

We do understand the magnitude of the challenge facing the province on the fiscal front and recognize that the school system will have to bear a portion of the pain.  However, since the current funding formula already reflects declining enrolments and teacher retirements, it is inappropriate and unfair to add an additional target of $96 million to the public school system, over and above the original $100 million which the government had previously indicated to boards, which totals a 22 per cent decrease, or $196 million.

In summary, yes, public education costs more today for all the reasons noted.  There are many successes that would not have been achieved if the investment was not made.  Education is an INVESTMENT. The future of Nova Scotia, socially and economically, depends on a well-educated population. It is important that we encourage all Nova Scotians to participate in the discussion on the need and importance of public education.

(signed)

Vic Fleury, president, NSSBA

For further information:

Sharon Findlay-MacPhee, communications manager, NSSBA, [phone] (o); [phone] (c)
Vic Fleury, president, NSSBA, [phone] (o); [phone] (h)