Woefully Inadequate Funding for Education Fails to Address Needs, Lacks Sector Consultation
The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation is extremely disappointed with today’s surprise announcement of education funding from the Government of Saskatchewan.
“Even with the additional funds announced today, our public schools require significantly more funding to address years of abysmal budgets and cuts from this government,” says Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation President Samantha Becotte. “This announcement also comes without any consultation with education partners. We are ready and willing to address the issues in public education funding, but this will require trust and open dialogue. Trust is strained when announcements of this order are made without notice to the rest of the sector.”
To eliminate this year’s budget shortfall, Saskatchewan’s 27 school divisions would require additional dollars to address cuts imposed following the government’s March budget. For example, Saskatoon Public Schools Division noted a $10.5 million shortfall in funding to support students with intensive needs in 2021-22. The funding announcement today only gives SPSD an increase of $2.66 million. Overall, a $40 million increase to their education investment appears woefully inadequate to address the budget shortfalls in Saskatchewan education for the coming year.
“We have previously highlighted data from a report from the Fraser Institute, which states that more than $400 million is needed to restore per-student funding in Saskatchewan to 2012-13 levels,” says President Becotte. “Today’s announcement seems to be missing a zero. It also comes with just a few short weeks left in the school year, while school divisions are finalizing their budgets. If the Minister of Education was going to do this two months after the budget announcement, why didn’t he just include this from the start? Why put the sector through the anguish of budget planning based on numbers that were just going to change anyway? Our students and teachers deserve adequate funding that meets their needs, and that can be relied on year over year.”
Meaningful consultation and sector-wide collaboration are needed to address the dire problems that budget cuts are causing in Saskatchewan’s public schools. The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation continues to hear from people across the province, sharing how these cuts have negatively impacted learning for their children, through tellthemtuesday.com.