Langdon says with changes in student busing, there will be a need for more student assistant time. He says government is "not addressing ongoing challenges and while there is some money in recruitment and retention, we need a focus on retention."
The head of the teacher’s union is struggling to find faith in the provincial budget. Trent Langdon says over 2200 teachers responded to a lengthy survey during a Teachers Think Tank and he’s even met with the Premier and Education Minister for a full day of discussions. He says there was no reference to education in budget highlights and an increase in positions just handles the greater need due to the growing population. Langdon says with changes in student busing, there will be a need for more student assistant time. He says government is "not addressing ongoing challenges and while there is some money in recruitment and retention, we need a focus on retention." Langdon says a few weeks ago, government announced an Education Accord similar to the NL health Accord a few years ago. He plans to meet with the Education Minister soon and says to stay tuned. Government has set aside $41-million for new schools, but Langdon says while infrastructure is welcomed, the crisis now is with meeting students’ needs.