On Saturday, roughly 3,000 people took over the front lawn of the Legislative building calling out the Sask. Party Government for their lack of investment in the public education system.
The crowd consisted of executive officials, principals, teachers, supporting staff, workers’ unions like CUPE, parents, and children.
“It’s time for the government to stop playing semantical games in the media talking about record budgets. It is time to acknowledge the decades of cuts and underfunding is significantly impacting our ability to fund our schools and to meet the needs of our students,” says Nathan Bromm, Vice President of the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation.
“Teachers, EAs, and other professionals work hard every day to meet the needs of their students but we are falling short.”
The 2023-24 budget released in March allocated $4 million to the education sector.
“Contrary to the amount reported, the majority of that funding has already been provided as base funding in the 2022-23 budget. It’s already been spent,” says Sarah Cummings Truszkowski, Vice Chair of the Regina Public School Board.
They, along with other industry professionals, say schools are continuing to make difficult decisions to cut resources and services for students such as recreational sports and mental health initiatives. Ultimately, taking away the ability for many students in the province to thrive.
“The net real increase for all school divisions here in Regina and across Saskatchewan amounts to less than 14 million dollars between 27 school divisions across Saskatchewan. That’s only a 0.7 per cent increase,” says Cummings Truszkowski.
“Presently, we are living with record inflation and record enrollment growth. Less than 1 per cent investment in public education at a time of record government surplus,” says Cummings Truszkowski.
Industry Professionals continued calling out the provincial government saying that the continuation of cuts and underfunding will have a long-lasting effect on Saskatchewan’s children and the growth of the province.
