The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation is withdrawing extracurricular activities provincewide for three days next week, as well as lunch supervision in select school divisions, as part of ongoing job action from teachers.
All athletics, school clubs, field trips and graduation preparation will be cancelled across the province Monday through Wednesday next week.
Noon-hour supervision will not be available Monday in the following divisions:
- Creighton School Division
- Holy Trinity Catholic School Division
- Horizon School Division
- Lloydminster Public and Lloydminster Catholic school divisions
- Northwest School Division
- Prairie South School Division
- Prairie Valley School Division
- Saskatchewan Rivers and Prince Albert Catholic school divisions
On Wednesday, the provincial government said there would be $180 million in increased funding added to the 2024-25 budget, up nearly nine per cent to $2.2 billion.
“This increase will include over $356 million specifically allocated to classroom supports,” Premier Scott Moe said. It marks an increase of roughly $45 million from the previous year.
He asked the teachers to pause job action in light of the funding — but the STF said it doesn’t address class size and complexity.
“While this week’s funding announcement is welcome, it does not guarantee ongoing, predictable and sustainable funding for education,” STF president Samantha Becotte said. “We have said on many occasions that a new collective agreement is within reach; government simply has to come to the bargaining table with a mandate to negotiate class size and complexity.”
The provincial government says that is the responsibility of school divisions.
On Friday, it announced a multi-year funding agreement with the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA), providing a minimum of $356.6 million per year for four years for classroom supports as well as increased investment in youth mental health resources.
The funding is part of the $180 million promised on Wednesday.
“Now that our government has made this unprecedented commitment in a signed agreement, it’s time for the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation to end their job action and return to the bargaining table, so that students and teachers can return to the classroom,” Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill said in a press release.
STF said it is prepared to cease sanctions and return to the table if the government is willing to tie funding to increases in enrolment and inflation and not use the funding for anything other than students supports.
“If funding doesn’t keep pace with enrolment, the same problem we see in classrooms today will continue in the future,” Becotte said.
STF also requested the funding not be subject to reductions, be consistently reported on to ensure transparency and that the memorandum of understanding be adjusted to align with the term of the provincial collective agreement.
“If government is willing to negotiate on the items addressed within the memorandum of understanding and bring this to back to the table, we believe an agreement can be reached quickly,” Becotte said.
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