Members of the Western Teachers' Association (WESTA) joined a 100 or so of their colleagues from around the province at a rally at the Manitoba Legislature last week.

Organized by the Manitoba Teachers' Society (MTS), the rally was intended to bring attention to the need for equitable, stable and adequate funding for public education in the province leading up to the October 3rd election.

"We were there in solidarity with our colleagues from across the province who have noticed that the funding and the funding formula is not keeping up to inflation and is not keeping up to the needs that our students have in our classrooms," explained Shawna Dobbelaere, president of WESTA. "There have been stories on the Real Teacher Talk campaign through MTS showing what is happening in our classrooms across the province. We are hoping for something stable, not grants or idea funds that are competed for."

Dobbelaere said, school divisions have had to make some tough decisions recently on how exactly the money they do receive should be spent. 

"We're looking for a funding formula that meets all of the needs of the students, post-pandemic and whatever the future may bring. Funding that improves the learning conditions of the students, which are the working conditions of myself and my colleagues."

The hope is for Manitobans to be informed of how public education is funded in Manitoba, and she encourages them to get involved during the election period. 

"People can talk to the candidates about where they stand on public education and what their plans are," she said. "Is there a robust plan to recruit and retain teachers to address the shortage that we are facing?"

Dobbelaere encourages voters to check out the Real Teacher Talk campaign to see for themselves the strain that the public education system has been under and prepare questions for any candidates that are asking for their vote. 

With files from Robyn Wiebe

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