Education
Stabilizing our Classrooms
Our schools are short-staffed. This is causing stress for students and teachers as schools become overcrowded and resources are stretched thin. Without adequate staffing, teachers struggle to be everything for their students, while students face disruptions in their learning environment.
We will retain and recruit teachers, support professionals, educational assistants, and bus drivers, leading to a better environment for all education professionals.
A Holt Government will:
- Retain and recruit teachers, support professionals, educational assistants, and bus drivers, leading to a better environment for all education professionals. We will:
• Improve working conditions for all education professionals, prioritizing support and wellness.
• Increase financial support for those entering education professions. - Develop a fresh 10-year plan with teachers and other education professionals professionals, experts, and parents to set a collective vision for education.
- Support inclusive education for all students by reviewing class composition and identifying and filling the staffing, training, and resourcing gaps impacting the effective implementation of Policy 322.
Nourishing Kids, Nourishing Minds
1 in 4 New Brunswick students are going to school hungry. They spend the day worrying about where their next meal will come from and trying to learn on an empty stomach. If we want students to thrive, they need to be fed and feel safe.
A Holt Government will:
- Provide nutritious universal free breakfast and pay-what-you-can lunches to all New Brunswick students leveraging local, New Brunswick food where possible.
Thriving in the Classroom
The classroom is changing, and so are students’ learning needs. Students need an environment where they feel supported, can ask questions, and are given every opportunity for success.
A Holt Government will:
- Ensure schools have adequate staffing, spaces, and resources to provide classroom support in literacy, numeracy, and learning behaviours, which will provide students with more small group or one-on-one practice.
- Provide staff and students with the necessary tools to create a positive learning environment while properly utilizing personal electronic devices and other technologies.
- Continue grade one early French immersion and expand access points for grade six entry.
Help Kids Get the Best Start
Parents are adding their children to daycare waitlists even before they are born and are still being met with lengthy waitlists. Many are waiting for a spot months or years after they’d already planned to be back at work.
We will eliminate the 4,000-child waitlist for affordable childcare.
A Holt Government will:
- Retain Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) by improving working conditions and increasing wages.
- Increase financial support for ECE students.
- Continue implementing $10-a-day childcare across the province, making it more accessible.
- Reduce the administrative and regulatory burden on childcare operators to enhance their ability to provide the best care possible for children.
Support for Post-Secondary Education
Post-secondary students are not immune to the cost-of-living crisis. In many cases, their income and student loans are not designed to keep up with rising rents, grocery prices, and other expenses.
A Holt Government will:
- Work with universities and colleges to develop long-term strategies for student housing.
- Continue to make provincial student loans interest-free.
- Provide additional grants for students studying to work in high-priority fields (see economic development).