Province needs to step up to the plate

Despite the fact the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board (AVRSB) was able to draft and approve a balanced budget just in time for the summer break, Superintendent Norman Dray is already ringing alarm bells about the board's budget for 2009/10.

He pointed out that although the AVRSB budget did not include any staff cuts for the coming year, “next year we will have to make these cuts if there is not a substantial increase from the province.”

Skyrocketing oil, fuel and infrastructure maintenance costs were among the biggest factors impacting finances for the regional school board. But the AVRSB is not alone in meeting these challenges.

After repeated calls for financial assistance by other Nova Scotia school boards, the Department of Education agreed to pick up the tab for the extra cost of fueling buses and heating classrooms as long as boards calculated their budgets based on this past February’s fuel prices.

This move by the province will offer a short-term solution, but the trend for higher energy costs is a reality that is here to stay and one that cannot be ignored. As enrolments continue to decline in most regions, the current funding formula does little to help boards manage the inventory, assets and people necessary to provide a quality education for all Nova Scotian children.

With more post-secondary institutions per capita than any other province in Canada, Nova Scotia has a reputation for providing a plethora of opportunities for higher learning. Students from across Canada and other nations come to Nova Scotia for a wide range of programs and degrees that are recognized worldwide.

This longstanding reputation for excellence at the post-secondary level is, however, at odds with the perceived value of our publicly funded elementary and high school system, given the current financial situation facing school boards. Without a solidly funded public system the province can only look forward to crises in a variety of sectors.

Tri-County Regional School Board chair Faye Haley, quoted recently in The Yarmouth Vanguard, stressed the importance of a strong public system. "Nova Scotia needs to grow. We need more businesses, more professionals, more people. But without a good education system, how can we attract the best?"

The provincial government cannot continue to ignore the value and importance of its education infrastructure or undermine efforts by school boards to create the best possible education opportunities to students. By providing insufficient funding for education, the province is failing in its duty to invest in a future for all Nova Scotians.