Back-to-school is on the mind of families and kids across the province as we near the start of September.

It’s also on the mind of teachers, who are excited to return to the classroom with their students.

Samantha Becotte, the president of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, said this year’s return is not without its worries.

“Looking at the school year ahead, budget is something that is always front of mind. There is always a little bit of worry going into the school year about not knowing how we will be able to meet the needs of students if the resources aren’t there to support all of those diverse needs.”

Becotte said the pandemic shined a light on the many diverse needs in the classroom. She noted that a lack of resources could lead to challenges for teachers and students.

“One thing that we have seen intensifying is all of the diverse needs that we have in our classroom. Although those needs were there previously, the pandemic has really intensified how many students we see coming into our class with additional needs or needing additional support,” she said. “Not knowing whether resources will be there in order to support students due to budgets not keeping up with the increases costs or enrollment over the last five years does cause us some concern.”

She added that overall, teachers are looking forward to returning to school.