The Chignecto-Central Regional School Board, the first in the province to release the results of a cost-cutting exercise ordered by the provincial government, says it will have to eliminate almost 600 jobs if Premier Darrell Dexter follows through with education cuts.

Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter's NDP government has asked school boards to plan for a $196-million budget cut over the next three years. (CBC)

Superintendent Gary Clarke said that outcome is a worst-case scenario, but it's what the school boards have been ordered to prepare.

In October, provincial officials asked school boards to determine what a cut of 22 per cent — close to $200-million — over three years would do to public education. The Chignecto Central School Board was the first to release its results, Thursday.

Board officials say they'd have to cut more than 280 teaching jobs and 300 other positions to meet the targets.

The district services 22,000 students in 22 communities.

"Students across our board will have less supports," Clarke said. "They'll have less options in terms of the programming that they can receive. They'll have larger class sizes."

The board is asking parents and others to lobby the provincial government not to go through with deep cuts.

"I'd be questioning whether or not the education system will meet the needs of my child, and that's a very serious thing," Clarke said.

The board will hold a series of public meetings over the next two weeks, with the first scheduled for Monday evening.

According to figures provided by the provincial Department of Education, more money has gone into education in the last decade even though the system now serves 35,000 fewer students than 10 years ago.

Educators have said the cuts could result in province-wide losses of 70 schools, 300 bus drivers and janitors, 600 teachers' assistants and student workers, and up to 2,000 classroom teachers.