Saskatoon Public Schools making ‘difficult decisions’ in wake of budget

A funding increase of less than one per cent has left Saskatchewan’s largest school division making what it called “difficult decisions.”

According to a letter sent to parents and caregivers this week, Saskatoon Public Schools is facing financial challenges that will have a direct impact on education after seeing a lower-than-expected increase in the recent provincial budget.

According to the division, it received $256 million in the budget, which increased operating funds by $2.8 million.

“This year’s funding increase for us is less than one per cent, well short of what is needed to even maintain the status quo in our division; given rising costs and an estimated 600 additional students next year, the extra $2.8 million will be quickly spent,” board chair Colleen MacPherson and director of education Shane Skjerven wrote in the letter.

“Unfortunately, provincial funding that fails to provide for long-term, sustainable growth will have a direct impact on your child’s educational experience.”

The provincial budget included a $1-billion surplus, but while the division noted it was hoping for “an adequate education grant,” the surplus was largely used to pay down the provincial debt.

MacPherson and Skjerven noted that the 2023-24 provincial budget did not approve any major or minor capital projects for the division, which they called “a significant issue” due to overcrowding, particularly in schools in northeast Saskatoon.

They also noted that supports for learning funding have been chronically short in recent years. That category includes educational assistants, speech language pathologists, psychologists, English as an additional language staff, counsellors, nutrition workers and community school co-ordinators.

“Year after year, our diverse population grows and the number of students who require additional educational supports increases,” MacPherson and Skjerven wrote. “The current funding model does not come close to meeting this critical need.”

While the letter did not specify exactly how the division will be responding to the lower-than-expected funding, Skjerven and MacPherson noted that financial challenges have been piling up in recent years. Those include growing class sizes, rising costs – particularly for busing and utilities – reduced staff and increased costs for pension plans and employment insurance.

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation previously made similar comments about the provincial budget, saying it was “baffled by the government’s disregard for students,” and saying the budget “fails to provide adequate funding for increasing student enrolment and more complex needs.”