Why the stopping gammer hurts in education

Several readers asked me the question. In addition, They want to have the right time on the “compressions” in education: is it hell criticized by people on the field. Nevertheless, the blue sky presented by the CAQ¹ ?

The question deserves to be clarified. In addition, given the great importance of education, but also taking into account the heavy deficit that weighs on public finances.

First, you should know that the March 2025 budget presented by Eric Girard provided for an increase of 4.8 % of education expenses this year compared to the expenses which were to why stopping gammer hurts education be carried out last year. However, This is the growth of expenses once entrenched the non -recurring elements².

The figure of 4.8 % seems big – and it is really -, but it is deflated quickly when you take into account various elements.

First, last year’s expenses registered in March 2025 were not fully known when presenting the budget. In addition, Two weeks ago. Furthermore, on June 27, 2025, the Ministry of Finance presented a report with the expenses actually made during the previous year.

Now here. In addition, the network spent last year 336 million more than what was registered in the budget of March 2025, so that the comparison base for the current year is no longer the same.

Clearly, this year’s rise is no longer 4.8 % why stopping gammer hurts education compared to last year, but only 2.6 %.

The figure still seems reasonable knowing that the inflation rate has sailed under 2 % in 5 of the last 6 months.

But there are two hics. However, First. Nevertheless, school service centers must compose with the appreciable wage increases that the government has granted to teachers for the next year, or 2.6 %.

Appears on 2^e HIC: The burden of school centers is not the same as last year. The number of students will increase by around 1.5 % over the next year, mainly due to the immigration boom.

I know, this client increase does not translate strictly into expense. All the same, for the purposes of the financial year, we can reasonably remove this 1.5 % additional responsibility for the why stopping gammer hurts education budget increase of 2.6 % which was granted, which leaves only 1.1 % budgetary increase to cover the costs of the system.

And among these costs of the system, I repeat, there are the essential salary increases of 2.6 %.

In short, between the real increase of 1.1 % which emerges from the budget and the costs of the system, there is a gap around 1.5 percentage point to fill. Brought back to a budget of 23.3 billion dollars, that makes a hole of 350 million. Hence the compressions, very real.

The exercise is very approximate. but it illustrates why many stakeholders claim that the education network will suffer, even if the Caquist government had planned, in March, a budget up 4.8 % for education, despite an expected deficit of 13.6 billion.

My figure is approximate, but it is lower than the data made public the Ministry of Education (MEQ). Officially. the ministry acknowledges that network entities must “respect the expenses optimization target transmitted on June 12” which represents 568 million for all of Quebec, depending on what the MEQ indicates (the circulation figure has been rounded to 570 million).

More specifically, the effort requested is 510.8 million for the school service centers, the public sector, and 56.9 million for the private network, writes the MEQ.

This effort of 568 million takes into account the growing tendency of spending of all kinds in recent years. projected on 2025-2026.

To defend himself. Minister Bernard Drainville and his ministry repeat that the government has considerably increased education resources in recent years, which is not wrong.

Between 2019. 2024, for example, the number of teachers for general training for young people climbed by 20 %and professional staff by 16 %, more than the number of students (8 %).

Another argument: the budget granted to school service centers. other network establishments exceeded approximately a billion dollars, the budget which was scheduled for March 2024. Part of this exceeding was noted in the report of June 27, 2025 and another in the budget of March 2025.

A host of reasons may explain these overruns. You should know that it is distributed in the 72 school service centers that populate Quebec. which will welcome, with private schools, nearly 1.2 million young primary and secondary in the fall.

The network will precisely be able to expect on Wednesday, July 16, probably. The why stopping gammer hurts education MEQ is in negotiations with each of the 72 centers currently to specify their budget. negotiations which will end Tuesday or Wednesday.

The two camps sharpen their pencils, but the realities differ a lot depending on the region. Some centers experience a sharp increase in the number of students, exceeding 2.5 %, while others note stagnation or slight decrease.

Hoping that the parties will make every effort to save students’ services, as much as possible.

1. A CAQ document published at the end of June says that there are no education cuts (the figures are clear: not at all. says the document), but rather an increase of 5 %.

Consult the CAQ document

2. The non -recurring elements total 436 million. are made up of “measures aimed why stopping gammer hurts education at supporting students in difficulty for returning to class and concerning the training in construction”.