FREDERICTON, N.B. – According to the president of the New Brunswick Teachers Association, principals won’t be able to protect students and staff from a looming budget cut.

During a meeting with Education Minister Jody Carr last week, Heather Smith says it was to her understanding that the department was only going to only release 70% of school budget for the time being and the rest would follow. She learned yesterday this may not be the case.

Smith says these cuts are going to impact even the smallest parts of a school’s budget.

“It’s their instructional budget. It’s what they use to order paper, art supplies, science supplies, or gym equipment; anything the school uses to operate. And up until this week, principals were under the assumption that they were going to have the same budgets they had last year.”

She believes while some of the affects will be obvious up front, others won’t be felt for years.