Manitoba Teachers Society sends strong message during general meeting

‘Kids not cuts’ is the message coming from the Manitoba Teachers’ Society.

The association held their annual general meeting in downtown Winnipeg Thursday.

President Norm Gould lamented the state of funding for education in Manitoba in his address, saying the province wasn’t prioritizing it’s future.

Gould said class sizes are going up as finances get tighter, making it harder for teachers to do their jobs.

“The under-funding of publicly funded public education is a travesty and its occurring here in Manitoba,” Gould said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The under-funding of publicly funded public education is a travesty and its occurring here in Manitoba," Gould said.

“This has also been occurring in other provinces.”

Gould cited several recent victories, like the province deciding to abandon its plan to use public/private partnerships to help build schools around Manitoba, but said there are many things that need to change.

“Through our advocacy –lobbying and writing about it — no longer are there going to be public, private partnerships for schools in Manitoba.”

Education Minister Ian Wishart spoke about his view on creating a brighter future for Manitoba students.

“The policy disagreements that occasionally occur are healthy discussions,” Wishart said. “Different ideas can lead to better results.”

The society has planned a rally outside the legislature for Friday afternoon to protest the state of education in Manitoba.