NDP Leader Rachel Notley called on Premier Jason Kenney to reconvene the Legislature and table a budget, saying not doing so is negatively affecting students, teachers and parent across the province.

Notley made the comments days after the results of a blue ribbon panel lead by former Saskatchewan finance minister Janice MacKinnon were released, which found the province is overspending on some services.

The panel presented what it called an ambitious plan to bring spending in line with other provinces, which includes 26 recommendations ranging from transferring hospital responsibilities to clinics and considering lifting the post-secondary tuition freeze, to legislating public sector salaries.

“The premier can only hide behind his so-called blue ribbon panel for so long,” Notley said in a statement.

“We know he’s going to make cuts, we know he doesn’t have the backbone to talk to Albertans before making those cuts, so what is he waiting for?”

Notley’s statement says the lack of a budget is “causing chaos across the province, perhaps most notably in education as kids returned to class this week.”

She notes the Calgary Board of Education is being forced to look at cutting 200 teaching positions due to budget uncertainty.

And that’s causing class sizes to grow.

“It’s unfair to the students and unfair to the teachers,” said Terra Hocken, whose daughter attends St. Rose of Lima School where she says a Grade 5 class had 45 students on the first day.

“In order to have an Alberta Advantage like the current premier has talked about, we need well educated kids and they can't possibly get that in a room with 44 other students.”

Bob Cocking, president of the Alberta Teachers' Association Local 38, said Hocken isn’t alone in her frustration.

“Teachers will deal with whatever situation they’re handed because our students deserve the best we can offer but this government needs to support Alberta teachers," he said.

“We needed education funding in May when we were staffing and every day school boards are left in the dark affects our students.”

Mario Vergara, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association Separate Local 55, said Catholic schools are dealing with a similar situation. 

“For the UCP to say they’re going to cut education funding, well we know that means it’s going to negatively impact classrooms,” he said in a statement.

“Anyone who says they’re doing this for students’ needs, they need to take a look at who they are really doing this for because they are not doing it for the children.”

Kenney has not revealed a date for when the budget will be released, saying only that it will be tabled in the fall.

Notley says a number of town hall meetings are planned in September and October, when the NDP will consult Albertans on budget expectations.

The first goes Sept. 10 in Edmonton and the Calgary town hall is scheduled for Oct. 5.