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Education platforms

Here's what the candidates in District 8: Stanhope - Marshfield, and their parties, are promising.

Indigenous learning

NDP

  • Work with Mi'kmaq leaders and educators to update curriculum to reflect Mi'kmaq experiences and histories
  • Ensure the cultural history of PEI taught in social studies includes stories of Indigenous, Métis, and Acadian people

K-12 funding

PC

  • Consider a universal breakfast program for schools

    "Explore the creation of a universal breakfast program with the English and French language school boards" — With You. For You., 2023-03-24

  • Create outdoor learning spaces

    "Establish outdoor learning spaces to stimulate new educational opportunities and a greater appreciation for our environment" — peipc.ca, 2023-03-20

  • Add 100 new positions including teachers, educational assistance, youth service workers, counsellors, and mental health support workers

NDP

  • Remove the $5.50 cost for the PEI lunch programme, and provide a free breakfast and lunch programme for all students

    "Remove the suggested $5.50 cost of the PEI lunch program and implement a free breakfast and lunch program for all Island students." — NDP Platform 2023, 2023-03-09

  • Cap classes for grades 4-8 at 20 students, and reduce high school class sizes

    "Cap classes for grades 4 through 8 at 20, and reduce high school classes to ensure students at every age get the support and attention they deserve." — NDP Platform 2023, 2023-03-09

  • Hire 50 more learning assistance teachers and educational assistants over three years
  • Remove fees associated with school supplies, field trips, and fundraising

    "Eliminating fees and financial pressure associated with school supplies, field trips and fundraising activities." — NDP Platform 2023, 2023-03-09

  • Maintain a school transportation system that meets needs

    "Maintaining a school transportation system that meets the needs of all public school students, including those who participate in after-school activities." — NDP Platform 2023, 2023-03-09

  • Integrate environmental and outdoor education

    "Integrating environmental and outdoor education into public school curricula." — NDP Platform 2023, 2023-03-09

Learning needs

NDP

  • Increase funding for autism services for children and youth
  • Provide wraparound care for students experiencing trauma and mental health issues, including staff training

    "Ensuring wraparound care for students experiencing trauma and mental health issues, including training of school staff and integration of community resources." — NDP Platform 2023, 2023-03-09

  • Provide targeted support for students with ADHD

    "Providing targeted support for students with ADHD, including a clear referral and assessment pathway and training in early intervention for education professionals." — NDP Platform 2023, 2023-03-09

  • Provide training to resource teachers and educational assistants in trauma-informed care, restorative conflict resolution, and literacy instruction

Post-secondary costs and tuition

PC

  • Continue to fund open educational resources, so as to reduce post-secondary costs
  • Make on-Island tuition free for RCWs, LPNs, and Paramedics who serve in PEI for two years, and provide bursaries for LPNs, RNs, and Paramedics who study off-Island
  • Increase the George Coles Bursary to $3,500/year, and expand it to include some off-Island studies and healthcare

    "Increase the George Coles Bursary to $3,500 per year for post-secondary students and expand the program to students studying off Island in programs not offered in PEI and to students in health care training programs such as LPNs, RNs, etc." — peipc.ca, 2023-03-20

NDP

  • Eliminate community college tuition fees by 2026
  • Freeze and reduce university tuition fees, with the goal of eliminating all tuition fees

School construction and upgrades

PC

  • Create outdoor learning spaces

    "Establish outdoor learning spaces to stimulate new educational opportunities and a greater appreciation for our environment" — peipc.ca, 2023-03-20

  • Add plans for a junior high school for the Stratford Campus
  • Use more solar energy at schools
  • Expand and renovate Queen Charlotte Intermediate School
  • Add Automated External Defibrillators to all schools
  • Create a $25M fund over three years for school infrastructure

    "Create a School Infrastructure Revitalization Fund investing $25 Million Dollars over the next three years to ensure our schools are safe, modernized teaching and learning environments" — peipc.ca, 2023-03-20

NDP

  • Study building new schools to offset aging buildings, with attention to reducing student commute times

    "Launching a study on building new schools to offset aging buildings, with attention to locations where students currently face long commute times." — NDP Platform 2023, 2023-03-09

  • Increase the budget for school upgrades

    "Increasing the provincial budget to finish school upgrades." — NDP Platform 2023, 2023-03-09

Student loans

We don't have any PC policies on Student loans.

NDP

  • Retroactively remove interest on provincial student loans
  • Convert government loans to grants

    "Giving young people a chance by converting government loans to grants, so students aren’t graduating with massive debts." — NDP Platform 2023, 2023-03-09

Student mental health

PC

  • Create a task force to develop a plan to address cyber-bullying and promote online safety

    "Create a multi-sectoral task force to develop an action plan to address cyberbullying behaviour and promote cyber safety" — With You. For You., 2023-03-24

  • Run a pilot programme to hire School Resource Officers

    "Create a pilot program to fund the hiring of School Resource Officers for each family of schools that want one and conduct a comprehensive review of how they can work collaboratively with school administration, teachers, support staff and student wellbeing teams" — With You. For You., 2023-03-24

NDP

  • Adopt a restorative conflict resolution practice in schools for tackling bullying

    "Tackling bullying effectively in partnership with community leaders and organizations, including adoption of a restorative conflict resolution practice in schools." — NDP Platform 2023, 2023-03-09

  • Provide wraparound care for students experiencing trauma and mental health issues, including staff training

    "Ensuring wraparound care for students experiencing trauma and mental health issues, including training of school staff and integration of community resources." — NDP Platform 2023, 2023-03-09

  • Increase funding for student well-being teams
  • Provide trained mental health staff to all schools