Moe returns from trip abroad to defend province's education funding

Premier Scott Moe returned to Saskatoon Friday from a two-day trip trip filled with more than 40 meetings in New York and Washington D.C., and he was defending his government’s level of funding to education in the province.

The province provided a 2.1 per cent increase of $5.2 million, that Saskatoon Public School Division (SPSD) says will only be enough to cover negotiated salary increases for teachers, and results in a $4.5 million shortfall that will require cuts.

SPSD said to help address the shortfall, fees will be introduced for families if their child stays for lunch, up to a maximum of $200 per family. 

Regina Catholic School Board will be charging lunchtime supervision fees this fall. Elementary school students will have an annual fee of $70 and part-time kindergarten students will have an annual fee of $35. Regina Public Schools and the Regina Catholic School Division boards will finalize their budgets at the end of June.

“I find that very perplexing because the funding is up across the education sector,” Moe said upon arrival at Saskatoon’s John G. Diefenbaker International Airport. “The education minister has mentioned that there are ample reserves in many, if not all of the school divisions across the province.

“They most certainly should be looking at using some of the reserves that have been growing in the last few years as opposed to sending out invoices to parents.”

Moe said school divisions in the province spending financial reserves is not sustainable, but is a better alternative than charging parents for lunch fees.

“I don't think you can say that invoicing parents is a long-term solution as well,” he said.

NDP education critic Matt Love says the province isn’t doing enough for children in Saskatchewan.

“They're cutting teachers at a time when kids need more support, they're cutting community school coordinators in Saskatoon when those kids need more support, they're cutting central office supports that are there to support teachers who do the best that they can,” he said.

“All of these cuts are happening in Saskatchewan school divisions, as other provinces have taken a very different approach, an approach that says our kids need support now as they come out of the pandemic.”

Moe says any additional funding for education will be discussed after all school divisions have submitted their budgets by the June 30 deadline.

“We would ask school divisions to submit their plans to the minister, he'll look at those between now and June 30 when they are to be submitted by, and ultimately we would also ask them to look at using all of the resources they have, including their reserves, if they're having challenges this particular year,” he said.