The Nova Scotia Government will spend $1.47 billion dollars on Education and Early Childhood Development in 2020-21.
That is an increase of nearly $50 million or 3.5 per cent – and one budget item accounts for the lions share of new spending, expanding pre-primary services.
An additional $17.5 million is allocated in the budget for the expansion for a total of $51.4 million, and an additional $4 million in new spending will go towards bus service expansion.
PC Education Critic Tim Halman said he thinks investment in that sector is a prudent move but he feels the government failed to put in ways to judge the success of the program.
“It’s a bit of a double standard,” he said.
“As a teacher, if I was ever asked for performance reports from a superior I would be expected to produce some empirical evidence, this expansion fails to do that.”
Other new items include $16.6 million for programs that support adults and children with disabilities and $15 million to continue implementations from the Commission on Inclusive Education. A few small ticket items make up the remainder of the new spending.
Generally, education seems to be one of the more palatable items from the budget for the opposition.
During the first post Budget media scrums, neither NDP leader Gary Burrill nor PC leader Tim Houston raised issues specifically with education when asked about there initial thoughts on the budget.
