Chandra Pasma is the Ontario NDP’s Education Critic.
While thousands of students across the region returned to school today (Wednesday, Sept. 4), a contract dispute between bus operators and the Renfrew County Joint Transportation Consortium has disrupted school bus service.
Chandra Pasma, NDP MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean and Official Opposition Critic for Education recently issued a statement regarding student transportation in Renfrew County.
“The Conservative government has completely broken the student transportation funding formula and our kids, once again, are paying the price,” she said.
Pasma says every child in Ontario, including kids in Renfrew County, have the right to get to school safely and learn. Transportation to and from school grounds is the very basic that kids deserve.
“Doug Ford’s Conservatives have constantly put Ontario’s children second. This government’s disdain for the needs of students is clear. Students, parents and teachers are still waiting for smaller class sizes, more teachers and education workers, and better mental health supports and investments in special education,” reads the statement.
Pasma claims the funding formula doesn’t cover the actual costs of student transportation and says the government is putting school boards in the position of running more deficits or taking resources out of the classroom, while offering operators contracts that pay less than their expenses.
These kinds of issues will continue until the government steps up with adequate funding, said Pasma.
“Kids can’t learn unless they can actually get to school. It’s time for Doug Ford and Jill Dunlop to prioritize our kids and step up with the resources they need,” said Pasma.
(Sherry Haaima)