LaGrange statement on NDP misinformation on education

(May 5, 2023) — Today, Red Deer-North UCP candidate Adriana LaGrange released the following statement, in response to Rachel Notley’s misinformation on education:

“Today, the NDP spent another campaign announcement spreading misinformation, this time about education.

“The UCP is making record investments in education with a growing budget of over $8.8 billion for the upcoming school year, which equals $44 million for every day that students are in school. Even though this is more than the NDP ever spent on education, we have forecast a total increase of funding of $1.8 billion over the next three years. This includes $820 million to address enrollment growth and $126 million to address classroom complexity. This will support hiring up to 3,000 staff, including teachers and educational assistants.

“As is often the case, the NDP pitched a lot of numbers, with no details. Notley said the NDP would provide $700 million to address enrolment growth over the next four years, which is $120 million less than the UCP has already budgeted over the next three years. Notley should explain how she plans to do more than the UCP with less money.

“While the NDP say they will reduce class sizes, their record shows they failed to do this when they were in government. In 2018, the Auditor General found the NDP did not have an effective process for monitoring their ‘Class Size Initiative’. And In 2019, a report issued by Alberta Education found the NDP’s efforts to reduce class sizes did not effectively improve the situation.

“I’m also proud that the UCP is leading the country in post-pandemic learning loss recovery, whereas we know the NDP would have indefinitely shuttered our schools, kept our children masked, and delayed a return to classrooms.

“As I’ve said before, the NDP need to go do their homework, before going out with these kinds of attacks.”

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