News Release

Deputy Mayor Says School Board Should Be Fighting Education Funding Cuts

(Friday, May 25/07)-- Deputy Mayor Councillor Sue Uteck said Halifax Regional School Board officials should be “fighting tooth and nail” against provincial education funding cuts, rather than commiserating about what programs will have to suffer.

Deputy Mayor Uteck said “HRM experienced an 8.7% increase in the mandatory education costs it must pay the Province this year-- an increase of $7 million from last year) --- and now we learn that its increased its spending by only 1.3 percent and cuts are on the way.”

The Deputy Mayor added “ Was it not the Province who negotiated the wage increases for teachers? Is it not HRM that is providing for library services through Supplementary Education Funding? Now we see that the School Board is cutting library services in the schools. Why isn’t Superintendent (Carol) Olsen fighting this tooth and nail instead of accepting cuts?”

Halifax Regional Municipality will pay the Province approximately $90 million in Mandatory Education Funding this year, and will provide the Halifax Regional School Board with an additional $20.8 million in Supplementary Education Funding.

The Deputy Mayor said Regional Council gave the School Board carte blanche authority to distribute (Supplementary) funds raised through property tax levies in Halifax and Dartmouth to schools throughout the entire municipality this year.

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Deputy Mayor Sue Uteck
221-7651