The first week of the campaign period is well underway in Saskatchewan and we’ve seen a number of promises made by both parties so far.
But the Public Schools Board of Saskatchewan is hoping to push the conversation around education to the top of the list.
“Public education is the cornerstone of a democratic society, and a fully-funded public education system can only benefit society throughout our province,” said Norm Dray, public director for Public Schools of Saskatchewan.
The board published an editorial calling for three key items — a fully-funded public school system, school board autonomy from the province and the defunding of private and independent schools.
Dray added every dollar put towards private schools is one taken away from the public system.
“We think it’s a false choice to think that by funding private schools that that’s a choice for people, because only those that can afford the tuition and afford to get their kids there are the ones that can take advantage of that,” said Dray.
Questions that included these calls to action were posed to registered party candidates and leaders during an education forum held by the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation.
The Saskatchewan Party said it has already injected significant dollars to be put towards public education, adding $180 million this year.
“We’re going to continue looking at how we can add funds to education to make sure that teachers and students can be supported wherever they are in the province,” said Jeremy Cockrill, Saskatchewan Party MLA.
The provincial New Democrats are reminding voters of their early campaign commitment of $2 billion for public schools.
“This is the kind of funding that we need to address the challenges of class size and complexity,” said Matt Love, NDP MLA.
As the campaign heats up and the province continues to hear more and more from its parties, Dray asks voters to continue asking questions of their candidates to see who is best fit to serve the needs of students and teachers in Saskatchewan.
— with files from Gates Gaurin