STRATFORD, PE - Premier Dennis King, along with PC Candidates Natalie Jameson, Jill Burridge, and Jenn Redmond released a plan to invest in PEI’s education system including adding in front-line resources, introducing measures to support students and families, and expanding infrastructure to accommodate PEI’s growing population.
Over the last four years, Premier King and his team have re-established elected school boards, provided students up to grade nine with free school supplies, launched a universal Island-wide, pay-what-you-can hot healthy lunch program, added 250 front-line teaching staff, and have made investments in our education infrastructure through expansions and new builds across the province including an expansion at Ecole Francois Buote, building a new school in Evangeline, and Sherwood and have completed renovations at West Royalty and Ecole-sur-Mer. Renovations are underway at Montague Consolidated and Eliot River.
Today, Premier Dennis King announced that a re-elected PC government will:
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Add 100 new positions for our education system by increasing teachers, educational assistants, youth service workers, counselors, and mental health support workers;
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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;
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Pilot a School Bus Monitoring Program to support bus drivers and students while students travel to and from school;
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Create a pilot program to fund the hiring of School Resource Officers for schools that wish to have a dedicated school resource officer.
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Take immediate steps to alleviate space pressures at Queen Charlotte Junior High School through expansion and renovation;
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Make greater use of Solar Energy at schools across the province;
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Expand the Stratford Campus plans to include a Junior High School, keeping families closer together, supporting the Stratford community, and reducing transport times;
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Expand curriculum to include course offerings on local Indigenous history.
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Establish outdoor learning spaces to stimulate new educational opportunities and a greater appreciation for our environment;
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Place Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in all Island schools; and
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Develop a Healthcare Career Pathway Pilot in high schools allowing students to more easily transition from high school to health-based careers.
To support our Island Students, a re-elected PC government will:
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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.;
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Provide free tuition for Islanders studying in Prince Edward Island who commit to staying and working in PEI for two years in any of the following fields: Resident Care Worker, Licensed Practical Nurse, Primary Care Paramedic, and Advance Care Paramedic;
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Provide a $500 Tutor Rebate for students who need additional support to achieve success in their education journey;
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Working with the UPEI Student Union, continue to fund open educational resources to reduce the cost of education for post-secondary students;
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Provide internship opportunities for post-secondary students to work with sector and industry groups to get practical work experience with multiple companies or organizations in the same field; and
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Provide the necessary funding to expand the Imagination Library program so that more young Islanders receive books in the mail each month.
“When we invest in education we are investing in our future,” said Premier Dennis King. “The investments we are announcing today will help better support students and help prepare our learners for future careers here on Prince Edward Island.”
“Working together, progress has been made to improve learning for Island students in the face of extraordinary challenges,” said Natalie Jameson, Minister of Education and Lifelong Learning and PC Candidate for District 9: Charlottetown - Hillsborough. “Our PC plan for learning will build on that progress and focus on making sure our students have the tools and supports they need to succeed.”