The leader of the Nova Scotia NDP announced a four-point plan for education Saturday that would cost at least $16 million a year.

Gary Burrill promised a variable cap on classroom size for all grades, depending on the composition of the class, at an estimated cost of $9.3 million annually.

Burrill also wants to unleash a "small army" of educational specialists to help students at an annual estimated cost of $7 million.

That plan would include hiring additional teachers, school counselors, speech pathologists, school psychologists and other educational specialists.

Plan to reopen negotiations with teachers

Burrill also says he'd repeal the controversial Bill 75 that imposed a contract on teachers earlier this year and re-negotiate with the Nova Scotia Teacher's Union. However Burrill said he can't calculate the cost of reopening negotiations because he wants to do so with an open mind.

"An NDP government will freely bargain...teachers' collective agreement and we'll do this to replace the dictating of working conditions imposed on teachers by the McNeil Liberals, and thereby will establish a respectful and responsible relationship," he said.

Just before the election was called, Nova Scotia Liberals announced pre-primary education for four year olds. Burrill agrees that is an important policy but says people should be suspicious of the timing, just before the election was called.

David Zink, a fine arts teacher at Dartmouth High School, attended the announcement and applauded the ideas.

"Putting more specialists in the classroom is going to go a long way towards improving a mangled relationship between teachers and the government in this province," he said.