'Chaos raging in our education system': Sask. NDP criticizes gov't on deal with school boards association

The Sask. Party continues to face criticism following the announcement of a funding agreement with the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SBBA).

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) has denounced the agreement, which the province has claimed will address classroom supports, such as class size and complexity.

STF president Samantha Becotte said she spoke with a school board trustee who claimed the government gave a ‘back room’ deal, only providing 24 hours to sign the agreement.

During legislative proceedings on Tuesday, both NDP Leader Carla Beck and Education Critic Matt Love called on Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill to set the record straight.

“There’s chaos raging in our education system, elected trustees feeling bullied and they’re speaking out,” Love said.

Cockrill said over the past several months, he has been meeting with school boards who signed the deal, denying the NDP’s accusation of a “culture of fear.”

“It’s a culture of collaboration,” he said. “That culture of fear that the member opposite talks about, I know nothing about that.”

“We’ve been having discussions all around the province at these board tables directly with elected board chairs and board trustees … What we came up with was the multi-year funding agreement, delivered that to the Saskatchewan School Boards Association, had several calls with board chairs over a number of days,” she added.

According to the province, the funding agreement guarantees a base amount of long-term funding to school divisions, which will provide a minimum of $356.6 million each year for four years for classroom supports and an investment into youth mental health resources.

“That’s not nothing,” Cockrill said. “This is a substantial agreement that we’ve made with school boards, an agreement that they’ve been asking for.”

“We’ve delivered on that, endorsed by all 27 school boards.”

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Love said school boards are under pressure from the government.

“Our MLAs are hearing from trustees all the time, and certainly since this deal was announced last week, our phones have been ringing and we’re hearing from folks who are worried about reprisal from this government,” he said.

“I think that they’re worried about what it might mean to speak up about how this deal came together.”

Love said what he has heard from trustees is an “intense amount of pressure” from the government to turn around on a deal that was communicated as a take it or leave it deal.

During question period, Love asked Cockrill yes or no questions as to whether or not the school boards were only given 24 hours to accept or decline the deal.

“Did this happen? He didn’t say no. He had the opportunity to say,” Love said.

“What happened late last week was very abnormal in terms of how deals come together to provide predictable, adequate, sustainable funding for schools.”

Responding to the claim that the government bullied school boards into signing the deal, Cockrill reiterated that discussions leading to the agreement have been going on for weeks and months.

“I know that we originally sent over the agreement to the SSBA the Friday before the agreement was announced,” he said. “I spoke several times with board chairs and directors of education and every school division.

“Certainly made myself available throughout the process here.”

In the funding announcement released last week, the province called on the STF to stop their strike action.

"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,” Cockrill said in a news release on Friday.

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“We’d like to see the STF leadership back at the bargaining table,” Cockrill told reporters Tuesday. “We’ve made those invitations and continue to make those invitations.”

On Friday, Becotte said while the funding announcement is welcome, “it does not guarantee ongoing, predictable and sustainable funding for education.”

“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 last week.

The province has remained steadfast that classroom size and complexity is not something they feel is appropriate to discuss at the bargaining table.

Saskatchewan teachers have been without a contract since August 2023. Bargaining with the province initially began in May of 2023 with the STF declaring impasses in October and February.

Teachers across the province have been rotating strikes, with their next job action set for Wednesday.

- With files from David Prisciak and Drew Postey