Dear Editor
Much has been said by the Saskatchewan School Boards Association and the Government of Saskatchewan with reference to avoiding the "Alberta experience" that has occurred this year with teacher layoffs in that province. The reasoning is that because teachers are so highly valued and compensated there, massive layoffs have occurred because of that compensation.
If Saskatchewan teachers receive a collective agreement that affirms their worth this will result in massive layoffs here is the argument put forward. The government and trustees are also saying that because there are so many teachers looking for work there is no need to increase compensation as we have an oversupply of teachers.
The Albert Ministry of Education increased budget funding to school boards in that province by 2.7 per cent for the coming year. School boards are saying that is not enough to meet inflationary costs and the 4.4 per cent increase in teacher compensation that the government negotiated on behalf of Alberta School Boards.
First of all it should be recognized that the Alberta government fully funded the teacher wage increase, but cut back in other areas such as the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) grants. As an aside the AISI grant cutback resulted in approximately 300 of the lost teaching positions in the province. At no point were budget cutbacks supposed to result in teacher layoffs.
So let's work through the math. If we take all figures at face value of an approximately 3.5 per cent inflationary rate in Alberta, and 4.4 per cent wage increase, that leaves us with a total of 7.9 per cent increase in costs for Alberta School Boards if all special grants are kept in place. Edmonton Public decreased their budget by 6.2 per cent to meet the cutbacks. So, if Alberta teachers took a 6.2 per cent wage decrease that would result in no teachers layoffs in that province. A 6.2 per cent wage decrease would result in the average teacher salary in Alberta being 11 to 13 per cent higher than the comparable salary in Saskatchewan. This is with a massive decrease in their salary.
If the government gave teachers in Saskatchewan the 5.4 per cent per year they are asking for it would still take 2.5 years to match the decreased Alberta salaries.
So, please do not buy the government argument that they are just trying to save teaching positions.
The second position the government and school boards are taking is that as we have an oversupply of teachers we can pay them less. This idea presupposes teachers will move to where we need them and they will not abandon the teaching profession to make more money in other occupations. Teachers losing positions in Alberta are not going to move to Saskatchewan where they will make 18 per cent less when they can access another occupation that will make them at least as much without having to move.
Unemployment in western Canada is the lowest in Canada. If you have a highly educated individual he or she can be employed in other sectors and make equivalent compensation.
The second issue is that if we devalue the teaching profession we will have challenges recruiting quality people. If a young person is making a choice between teaching or another profession (assuming that the person has the ability to make a difference in both), the first criteria the person will usually uses is compensation. The issue of maintaining a quality teaching force is further exacerbated when a newer teacher is deciding to stay in the profession and is confronted with the prospect of earning more money in other occupations.
Teachers in Saskatchewan are not asking to be paid at an Alberta level. We are asking for a fair compensation package that will affirm the worth of the teachers in Saskatchewan and will give the profession the ability to attract the best possible candidates to educate our youth.
Tom Hawboldt
North Battleford
