This according to financials revealed during last night’s District Education Council meeting. Finance Director Aubrey Kirkpatrick was quick to respond when asked by Chair Harry Doyle whether or not the EA situation is okay,”No, we are funded for 454 FTE’s like we were last year, it did not go up. The need for EA’s went up, but the money didn’t go up.” Schools are already dealing with shortages, and it is estimated Anglophone East will need around 80 more Educational Assistants than they have funding for. Council member Ian Hebblewaithe referenced the need in one of his schools, describing it as mindboggling, “Looking at next year, this school, they are looking at, projecting, two English grade one classes with ten kids that will need one on one EA support. That is six adults in a class. Part of the problem is this school has exemplified itself in dealing with kids with special needs. As such, they keep getting sent kids with special needs, and I think they now have a very disproportionate number of kids. This year alone, they have had 221 transient kids that have either transferred in or transferred out during the school year. This is a school of about 500 kids. Tell me that is easy on the Educators. I know there is a lot of what I would call back end support, but there is not enough front end support. The one on one the kids needs is much more important.”