The Chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador English School Board of Trustee responded today to information being shared by the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association (NLTA) on the subject of the allocation of student assistant hours.

"While we appreciate the NLTA’s advocacy role in seeking additional classroom supports, it is important to note that the District is fully funded by the Provincial Government and deploys available student assistant resources, according to its budget, on a priority basis throughout more than 250 schools in the province," said Chair Goronwy Price. "Furthermore, students with identified needs also avail of multiple supports within the school environment - including support from the classroom teacher, administration, Instructional Resource Teachers, educational psychologists, guidance counsellors, speech-language pathologists, itinerant teachers with specialized training and expertise in a wide range of exceptionalities, and more."

The full text of the new release can be found in the document attached.