Quebec schools scrambling ahead of $200 million budget cuts

Quebec’s $200 million education budget cuts are causing widespread concern, with critics warning of negative impacts on students.

Quebec’s $200 million budget cuts to education are starting to make waves. From staffing to breakfast programs, critics say nothing is safe right now.

Students are the ones who could pay the price, says Andrea Di Tomaso, representative for English school support staff.

“Everyone’s nervous. We don’t have any real information about what the school boards are going to be doing,” she said.

Before the holidays, François Legault’s government announced it was slashing $200 million dollars from its education budget. Now school boards across the province are scrambling to find where to cut.

Meal programs, cultural outings, and even staffing could be on the chopping block, says Nicholas Prevost, president of the Federation for Quebec School Principals.

They’re searching for options that won’t affect student services, but that’s simply impossible, he says.

The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) says it will have a permanent budget cut of $2,600,000

These cuts will hit hard, and the timing makes it all the more difficult, says EMSB spokesperson Mike Cohen.

“We normally adopt our budget at the end of June and we work on it for 12 months. Now, in an unprecedented move, we are having to put together a brand new budget for a year that’s already in play,” he says.

Danie Martin, with a group that provides free meals for school children, worries the most vulnerable kids will lose out.

“We are really concerned because since the beginning of the school year, we saw the demands in school food programs rising so much and so quickly,” says Martin. “One child in five in Quebec is affected by food insecurity and that’s probably going to rise in the next year.”

The government defends the cuts as a necessary fiscal measure, but Di Tomaso says they’re short-sighted.

“As unions, we are absolutely disappointed and disgusted at what this government does -- that they don’t keep their promises and they fail every single time to support the community and the population of Quebec with proper social services,” says Di Tomaso.

Schools figure out how to do more with less by March 31.