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
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.