Following outcry, Sask. government pledges $40M top-up for education budget
A month after Premier Scott Moe said more money was on the way for school divisions, Saskatchewan's education minister announced a $40 million top-up.
Dustin Duncan shared the news during a media conference in Saskatoon at Bishop Filevich Ukrainian Bilingual School.
"The government of Saskatchewan has funded enrollment increases in the past and I want to assure you that we will continue to fund enrollment increases to support our growing and diverse province," Duncan said.
Duncan pledged $20 million for school divisions to address swelling enrollment numbers and $20 million to help with "classroom complexity."
The money devoted to classrooms will fund "teachers, educational assistants, speech-language pathologists, counsellors, educational psychologists or other supports as required," according to an education ministry news release.
Bishop Filevich is part of Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools (GSCS). The division was one of many in the province that sent letters to parents and caregivers, warning of increased fees and cuts to programming.
Despite Moe's promise of more money, with no details, the school divisions were drafting their spending plans based on the originally budgeted amount, aiming for a June 30 deadline.
As of Wednesday, multiple school divisions told CTV News they had no communication regarding the funding increase or any potential extension of the late-June deadline.
The president of the Saskatchewan School Boards Association said the uncertainty is "not good for kids, it's not good for planning, it's not good for the kind of decisions that we need to be making in real-time."
"The right time to announce dollars in education is budget day. So that was March 22. Predictability is fundamental to good governance, it's fundamental to how we should be funding education in this province," Jaimie Smith-Windsor said.
Smith-Windsor said while Saskatchewan's school boards welcome any new money, she cautioned it may not go far after "successive budgets of chronic underfunding."
"We need to take a look at whether it's sufficient to prevent cuts when we're talking about education funding, and these dollars will essentially mean that boards will prevent some cuts to their programs and maybe help them get closer to a status quo kind of service for next year," she told CTV News Thursday afternoon.
While the Saskatchewan government's 2023-24 budget projected a $1 billion surplus, the province's school divisions argued their funding allotment in the March budget amounted to a less-than-one per cent increase — insufficient to handle growing enrollment.
With the additional $40 million, the education ministry says the operating budget for Saskatchewan's 27 school divisions for the 2023-24 school year now sits at $2.08 billion.
While speaking with reporters Duncan indicated it may be time to look at the annual timeline for school budgeting.
"Maybe that doesn't work for any of us anymore," Duncan said.
"I've committed to the school divisions [that] we're certainly willing to continue a conversation with them."
GSCS board chair Diane Boyko was on hand for Duncan's announcement, she called the injection of money a "good first step in the right direction to give school divisions adequate, sustainable and predictable funding."
The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) was less conciliatory, levelling harsh criticism in a news release following Dunca's "surprise" announcement, which came after weeks of uncertainty for schools, educators and parents.
"Unfortunately, $40 million is not enough to to meet the needs of our students," STF president Samantha Becotte told CTV News.
"Again, this just falls short of recognizing the real challenges that school divisions right across the province are facing," she said.
--With files from Noah Rishaug
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman's life
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.