Parents committees across Quebec have launched a petition to call on elected officials in Quebec City to stop paying lip service to public education, and to make education a true priority.

The years of cutting, the parents' committees say, have stripped public schools of too many resources, both material and human. They say it's time to start spending again, and want to see MNA's of all parties press the government for a re-investment in public elementary and high schools.

The Federation of Parents Committees of Quebec says politicians love to talk about education during election campaigns but need to remember education as a top priority between elections.

The parents committees complain of recurring cuts of $317 million in spending on public education since 2010 and say the schools have passed the breaking point, with a real impact, they say, on student services, the quality of education and even on the quality of the buildings that house schools.

Organizers say people can sign the petition on the National Assembly website.

They haven't set a target for the number of signatures they hope to collect.