QUEEN’S PARK — During Question Period today, NDP Education Critic Lisa Gretzky demanded the Premier and Minister of Education explain why the Liberal government has abandoned its commitment to class size caps in Ontario.
“We know that keeping class sizes manageable is fundamentally important to students and families,” stated Gretzky, MPP for Windsor West. “Our schools are already in chaos because of more than a decade of chronic underfunding of education in Ontario, and bigger class sizes will only make the problems worse,” said Gretzky
Contrary to the Minister of Education’s assertion that class size caps are not being discussed in negotiations, it’s clear that there are efforts to remove class size cap language and replace it with language that refers to “flexible guidelines”.
“So I’ll try asking the Premier again,” said Gretzky. “Will the Premier maintain current caps on class sizes to preserve the quality of children’s education? Or will she let class sizes increase this fall and force students to pay the price?” asked Gretzky
Despite Gretzky’s questioning, the Premier and Minister of Education continued to skirt responsibility for the mess the Liberals have created in Ontario’s publicly-funded education system by flip-flopping on class sizes and cutting funding to schools.