Teachers' union praising N.L.'s 'nuts and bolts type of budget'

Newfoundland and Labrador's education system is getting a $44-million boost under its 2025-26 provincial budget.

With that money, Education Minister Krista Lynn Howell said the province plans to hire 400 educators and learning assistants in the K-12 system.

"We can't knit teachers, but we have an investment that will see us build on our recruitment and retention efforts," Howell said. 

The Department of Education has partnered with Memorial University's education faculty to build a rural and remote cohort — similar to MUN's nursing satellite campuses — for people who want to become teachers but can't move to St. John's.

Trent Langdon, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association, considers the latest budget a win for the province's children. He says more teachers will help meet the needs of more students.

"This type of investment ultimately brings a greater wrap-around service for children," Langdon said, adding that rural and coastal parts of the province — where facilities like the Janeway are not available — will be positively affected first. 

"If you're teaching on the coast of Labrador, or if you're teaching in rural Newfoundland, it's such a challenge that we do rely on our frontline people to intervene and to be that intake, and then to advocate on young people's behalf," Langdon said.

In her budget speech, Finance Minister Siobhan Coady said Newfoundland and Labrador will continue to fund school lunch programs with an investment of $42 million.

"To ensure students have access to healthy food during school, we are continuing our commitment to expand school food programming to all pre-kindergarten and K-9 schools," Coady said. 

While Langdon said the school system can't fix every problem overnight, giving children the opportunity to learn with full bellies is a good start.

"We're just trying to level the playing field for children when they come through the door each day," he said.

Langdon described Budget 2025 as a "nuts and bolts type of budget."

"You're giving the system what it needs. You're given an infusing of feet on the ground. You're putting food in the stomachs of children," he said.

"That's the nuts and bolts that are needed to keep this education system strong and then bring it to the next level, which is raising those reading and writing scores and mathematics scores."

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