LONDON — Ontario NDP MPPs Peggy Sattler (London West), Teresa Armstrong (London—Fanshawe), and Terence Kernaghan (London North Centre) have issued the following statement, as the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) is forced to cut classes thanks to the Ford government’s crushing underfunding of education:
“Doug Ford is failing students at every level of our education system,” said Sattler. “This is a board that was placed under provincial supervision last year. The responsibility for any students who are unable to graduate, or achieve their educational goals rests squarely with the Premier and Minister Calandra.
“They need to restore desperately-needed funding, and stop putting barriers in the way of Ontario students.”
“Students shouldn’t have to fight for the classes they need,” said Armstrong. “At a time when TVDSB students should be getting ready to graduate, or just enjoy their summer vacation, the Ford government has left them in a state of anxiety and uncertainty.
“The Conservatives should be setting students up for success instead of picking a fight with them. This was all avoidable without eight years of cuts to our education system.”
“The stories we’re hearing are troubling,” said Kernaghan. “Students are distressed, frustrated, and unsure of where to turn, while Doug Ford and Minister Calandra continue to pat themselves on the back. It’s painfully clear that the bloated class sizes they continue to implement and the courses they cut are doing nothing but hurting students and their future.
“Doug Ford and his government need to stop tossing these students aside, and start taking accountability for the mess they’ve made in education.”