The release of the Saskatchewan provincial budget Wednesday has left a bad taste in the mouths of some, but the education sector knows the feeling all too well.
“This budget contributes to the erosion of the publicly funded system that we have, and we need to have a bigger conversation about how education is funded in this province, and we look forward to that in the upcoming years,” said the president of the Saskatchewan School Board Association, Jaimie Smith-Windsor.
She said they’ve been calling for more investment in education for a long time.
Smith-Windsor recognizes that there was a small increase in the operational budget, but says it misses the mark.
“This budget again falls short of what boards are going to need to cover inflationary costs, operating costs and enrolment growth in their divisions.”
Smith-Windsor said school boards are going to struggle in the next weeks and months trying to find room in their budgets while also meeting local needs.
She said investing in education is good for students, but it’s also good for the future of the province and the economy.
Just over $2 billion is being divvied up among the 27 school divisions across Saskatchewan. This is a 2.5 per cent increase over last year.
About $7 million is going towards continued funding to bring in more than 200 educational assistants.
About $50 million is going towards preventive maintenance at the school divisions.
The startup and operation of the Sask DLC, a province-run online school system, will get $23 million.
Over $17 million is going towards qualified independent schools.
And over $147 million is going towards school infrastructure across several areas:
- $4.4 million for five projects in Carlyle, Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Balgonie and Regina.
- Almost $116 million to support 20 ongoing projects in places like La Loche, Saskatoon and North Battleford.
- Over $11 million for minor renewal projects, with two ongoing projects and three new ones.
- $16 million set aside to purchase or move relocatable classrooms for the 2024-25 year.
Educators have been calling for more support for a long time, and more specifically sustainable funding rather than one-time increases.
In June 2022, Saskatoon schools started announcing lunch-hour fees for parents, saying $70 was to be charged annually for students who remained at school for lunch.
Other schools have announced cutting full-time teaching positions, while reporting exponential growth in student enrolment.
When Premier Scott Moe responded to the Saskatoon Public Schools budget in June, he suggested that schools should draw from their “ample reserves.”
“The education minister has mentioned that there are ample reserves in many, if not all, of the school divisions across the province,” said Moe.
The province did hand out one-time funding of $20 million later on in September that was going to be split among the school divisions, but Saskatoon Public Schools board chair Colleen MacPherson was fully expecting to have the same problems this spring.
“We approved this revised budget with eyes wide open because there is no guarantee this money will show up in the next budget year. In fact, we fully expect to have to deal with another deficit when the provincial budget comes down in spring 2023,” said MacPherson.
That one-time funding did not see the lunchtime fee get removed.
Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation president Samantha Becotte said these impacts are being felt by everyone.
“Government either doesn’t understand the issues or doesn’t think they are important,” Becotte said.
“I hear from parents and teachers every day. There is a serious concern for student well-being because school divisions simply don’t have enough funding to meet students’ needs. These decisions have a critical, lasting impact on the future of our province.”
She said teachers are doing everything they can to support students in this underfunded system.
“Once again, this government is choosing to shortchange kids and families. Saskatchewan is in a strong financial position. Government has the money to invest in education. It is simply refusing to make students a priority.”
Minister of Education Dustin Duncan said he spoke with the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, adding they were looking for $400 million, but had moved that target down when the budget came down.
“That’s nearly a 20 per cent increase, which I think nobody was really expecting that,” Duncan said.
He said the contract comes to a close in August and they’ll be looking to get a new agreement with teachers.
Duncan noted there’s likely room to go back to some of these areas once they know what the numbers look like.
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