A meeting to discuss how the provincial government’s cuts to education will affect teachers and students is set to be held next week.
“This isn’t about benefits, this isn’t about salaries, it’s about student choice,” North Hastings High School teacher Chip Gillis tells My Bancroft Now.
Ontario’s Education Minister Lisa Thompson has said that no jobs will be lost because of the cuts, but CBC reports a teacher in Brantford, Ontario has tracked nearly 2,000 jobs have been lost so far. Gillis says that for every teacher that is let go, six classes are lost. He adds that when it comes to cutting classes, ones like math and english aren’t on the block – it’s the electives that get the boot.
The meeting will have a slideshow put together by Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and there will be a time for people to ask questions. Teachers from North Hastings High will also detail some of the programs offered at the school. Gillis says the meeting is open for everyone to attend. “This (provincial) government seems to have a way of putting big policy out with not a lot of explanation behind it,” Gillis says. “All we’re trying to do is give people the knowledge of what the impact (of the cuts) will really be.”
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 7th at 7 PM at Club 580.