Cuts to Early Literacy Support Program will impact hundreds of children

NSTU President Paul Wozney says the elimination of at least 20 Early Literacy Support (ELS) teaching positions will impact hundreds of students. He is again calling on Education Minister Zach Churchill to release the full list of schools across the province experiencing a reduction in ELS next year.

Wozney’s comments come after the Halifax Regional Centre of Education confirmed to multiplemedia outlets that it’s cutting ELS positions and redistributing them to other areas.

“ELS is a program that helps young children in grades Primary to 3 learn how to read. Because of these cuts, students that have already been identified as needing extra support won’t be able to get it,” says Wozney. “The parents of these children deserve answers which is why we arecalling on government to release the full list of schools where ELS has been cut.”

He adds, “It’s really unfair that school communities are being left in the dark about teaching allocations in general. This total lack of transparency and accountability is the direct result of theMcNeil government’s decision to eliminate elected school boards”