The MPP for Bruce-Grey Owen Sound is concerned by the news that the Liberal government plans to cut education funding by half-a-billion dollars over three years.
The education minister has confirmed there will be cuts to the overall education budget because of declining enrollment.
MPP Bill Walker is worried that more local schools could close.
"Once more putting a huge hit on rural Ontario. We obviously don't have the population base of the urban centres, but schools are absolutely fundamental and critical to our economy, to our community health and vibrancy, and you know we need a place for our kids to have a good education," he says. "This is just the reality of a government that has mismanaged our funds, and this sadly may just be the start of the cuts were going to see, although they weren't transparent with the people when they went to the polls."
The New Democrats say the news is an about-face to Premier Kathleen Wynne's pledge in the legislature just four months ago not to cut education funding. Education Minister Liz Sandals insists that per-pupil funding will continue to increase.
-With files from Marty Thompson