As part of their Election Coverage, the Daily News is asking questions of the candidates and printing their replies in the Wednesday and Friday editions of the paper.
.
The following was the "Pressing Question" for Friday, May 1, 2009
Education has long been an issue in Prince Rupert. Should the province enforce class size limits to improve educational outcomes?
Gary Coons -- New Democratic Party
Strong public education is a key to building strong communities. In the last 8 years we have seen 177 schools close, increasing class sizes and cuts o student support.
There are over 14,000 classrooms in violation of Gordon Campbell's own class size and composition laws.
The BC NDP will not abandon our most valuable resource and will meet existing class size and composition legal requirements, so our kids, especially students with special needs, have the necessary support to be successful. We will also provide flexibility in the per-pupil funding formula for rural areas.
Lisa Girbav – Green Party
Yes, I believe the province should enforce smaller class size limits. I think the current educational system is not working in the best interest of the children and they are the one's missing out.
The Green Party of Be would like to fund extra curricular activities that encourage healthy community spirit, creativity, and leadership skills. We want our children to experience the best possible learning environment.
Herb Pond – Liberal Party of BC
Everyone agrees - education is vital. Despite billions of dollars there are still many problems. Frankly, issues like class size don't top my concerns in education. Last week a community leader told me about high school completion rates of less than 10 percent for his people. Class size wasn’t top of his mind either.
Our communities are unlike those in the south. Our education model fails too many of our children. This is a problem that all community leaders must unite around to find solutions.
As MLA I will win support for the solutions we find.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment