Sask. Teachers’ Federation survey finds abundant support for more public education funding

A survey from the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) shows that many residents think the provincial government should spend more on public education.

The survey, which was completed online and by phone with 805 residents between Jan. 12 and 23, found that 67 per cent of respondents thought more government funding was needed for public education. A further 65 per cent said they felt there was a shortage of teachers.

It's something that STF president Samantha Becotte said was not surprising.

“They really did confirm what we already knew about public education. We have been raising concerns for a number of years about increasing challenges within our classrooms, and the lack of supports in schools, and the chronic underfunding that we're feeling within schools, she told CTV News. “So to see that the public is aware of, for the most part, some of those realities of today's classrooms really did just confirm what we knew.”

Becotte said the problem was wide-ranging and impacted both rural and urban schools.

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“There's a number of causes to the problem. I think one is that we aren't doing enough to retain the high-quality professionals that we have as teachers in Saskatchewan. I don't think that we're doing enough to support the teachers who are currently teaching so they feel fulfilled within their job and feel that the job is manageable, and we're not doing enough to recruit people.”

Becotte said the government needed to sit up and listen to residents with regard to education funding.

“If the public is saying we need to make a bigger investment into public education, then I think that it needs to be there and government needs to listen to the public.”

A spokesperson for the Government of Saskatchewan said the province had “provided the largest school operating funding in the province’s history” for the 2022-23 school year.

“Saskatchewan’s 27 school divisions received $2 billion through the school operating grant for the 2022-23 school year, an increase of $44.9 million or 2.3 per cent over the 2021-22 school year. This provided $6 million for additional classroom supports, fully funded the two per cent teacher salary increase and provided an additional $15.5 million to support higher than projected enrolment growth for the 2022-23 school year,” a statement from the Government of Saskatchewan read.

“In addition, government committed $7 million to allow school divisions to hire up to 200 new educational assistants for the 2022-23 school year. Government also provided divisions with a one-time investment of $20 million for the 2022-23 school year to assist with increased fuel and insurance costs. This payment will address rising fuel and insurance costs and prevent these costs from impacting classrooms.”

STF said they were advocating for a cause that impacts all residents in the province.

“We know the value that public education has to students individually, but also to everyone right across the province. So whether someone has a connection to education, whether their child is currently enrolled in a public education system, or whether they don't have kids, all people in Saskatchewan benefit from a well-funded public education system where every kid can be successful.”

SURVEY RESULTS

Other results from the survey show that 46 per cent of residents think public education is the same, while 37 per cent felt it has gotten worse over the past five years.

The survey also showed that 66 per cent somewhat disagreed or strongly disagreed with the government funding private schools.

According to the STF, the survey margin of error is 3.5 per cent 19 times out of 20.