‘It’s disappointing:’ STF President reacts to SSBA statement on class size and complexity

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation stands 2-1 against the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) and the government.

This comes after the SSBA sided with the government and agree that class size and complexity should not be on the bargaining table.

STF President, Samantha Becotte, is confused by the SSBA’s statement.

“It’s disappointing because we have heard previously from the SSBA the need to have predictable and sustainable funding,” she said.

“And they have been ineffective in being able to secure that. So what we have put forward at the bargaining table is a mechanism that would provide accountability on government to ensure that funding would be directed to school boards and then accountability that school boards would be making the right decisions in directing those funds to classrooms. To me this is in the best interest of kids.” 

SSBA president Jaimie Smith-Windsor said the best place to address classroom size and complexity is locally at the school board level, Becotte disagrees.

“Local school boards don’t have the ability to raise funds on their own, they get their allotment from the education budget from the provincial government,” she said. “Local divisions and local teachers’ associations have basically been at a standstill in negotiations because funding for those local agreements haven’t increased in over a decade.”

She said an agreement needs to be met at a provincial level.

“There are other provincial organizations who have negotiated articles around class size and class complexity with their provincial governments and their district representation or school board representatives at the provincial level,” said Becotte.

“That is where our funding comes from, so that is where the agreement needs to be made. We need to ensure that there aren’t winners and losers across the province, but that all schools and all school divisions have the ability to make the decisions that are necessary. But we need to ensure that the funding is coming and that’s coming from the provincial government. So it needs to be at the provincial table.”

SSBA’s statement doesn’t change anything for the STF.

“We are still trying to find a way to include an article within the collective agreement that addresses class size and class complexity,” she said. “That has been our stance right from the beginning. We’ve put forward a proposal at the beginning that was very comprehensive, but we said that was our opening proposal. We’d be happy to have a back and forth and get to a place where all sides, all parties at the table are comfortable and satisfied.”

As for when both parties will get back to the bargaining table, Becotte said the ball is not in STF’s court.

“That’s completely up to government and school boards,” she said.

“They’ve both made public statements that they believe it’s not right to be in the collective agreement. Although, I’m not sure if all school board trustees feel the same way around that. Like I said, school boards have communicated, the SSBA specifically has communicated, about the need for predictable and sustainable funding. Putting a mechanism in the collective bargaining agreement with teachers is a way to ensure accountability on government that the funding is going to be provided.”

Becotte said if the government trustees don’t come to the table ready to negotiate and engage in conversations about concerns teachers have, the STF will have no choice but to continue job action and sanctions.

She said those actions will likely escalate.