REGINA - Premier Scott Moe has signalled that Saskatchewan school divisions will be getting more money to address enrolment pressures.
“Yes, quite likely” was the answer Moe gave reporters Monday when asked if there would be more money provided to divisions in the coming couple of months.
Premier Moe pointed out that was what happened last year, when the government provided a midyear interim funding boost to school divisions to address an increase in enrolment throughout the 2022 school year.
The indication from Moe is this will happen again. Moe said Monday that Minister Dustin Duncan was “engaging with school divisions right now on what that might look like over the course of the next couple of weeks.”
It was the first definitive statement from the government that they would be providing more money to school divisions in 2023 to address an influx of new students during the school year.
This news also came on the heels of a massive "Rally for Education" organized by Saskatchewan Teachers Federation on the weekend at the Saskatchewan Legislature. The rally was attended by teachers from across the province as well as other groups including the Saskatchewan School Boards Association. During that rally, participants called for “no more cuts” as they decried the amount of education funding in the provincial budget.
The news also came following a barrage of Opposition questions on the state of education funding throughout the past week in Question Period, as well as this week.
Opposition roasts Moe and Duncan for skipping rally
In the legislature Monday afternoon, the Opposition hammered both Premier Moe and Education Minister Dustin Duncan for not appearing at Saturday’s rally.
“Why didn’t the Premier, his Education minister, or anyone from the Sask Party have the courage to show up and listen?” asked Opposition Leader Carla Beck.
When pressed by reporters afterwards, Moe didn’t have an explanation for why there were no Sask Party MLAs at the rally, noting there were “numerous rallies” that weren’t attended by MLAs. Moe indicated he was in his own riding; the Sask Party had previously reported that Moe was being renominated as the Sask Party candidate for Rosthern-Shellbrook on Friday night.
Education Minister Duncan said he had spent Saturday tending to family commitments after spending four days in Washington, D.C. along with Premier Moe. Duncan was there representing the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada.
It was in response to the barrage of questions from the Opposition that Premier Moe confirmed in the House that interim funding would be coming.
“Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Education is engaging over the course of the next number of weeks with a number of school divisions here in the province, Mr. Speaker. We came forward with mid-year funding last year to address the record population growth that our province and our schools are experiencing, Mr. Speaker, and we’ll be coming forward with something similar this year.”
His answers didn’t satisfy the Opposition, who continued to hammer Moe and Duncan for not attending the rally. Education Critic Matt Love suggested that had they shown up, “they probably would’ve been booed all the way back to Washington.”
Moe says government is listening
In speaking to reporters afterwards, Moe thanked teachers, trustees and parents for engaging with their MLAs on the issue. He said to rally participants that “your voices were heard.”
To anyone who attended that rally or reached out in any other way, Moe said, “your government is listening. Your government has been listening and will continue to listen.”
He pointed to the record population growth as the reason behind the pressures facing school divisions.
“It is the government’s job to engage, to listen. And what we are experiencing right now in this province is unprecedented, population growth driven by unprecedented growth in the economy. People are moving here, bringing their children here. Those children are going into our schools.”
Moe reiterated they would work with their school divisions to address the needs, and if that meant looking at interim funding “we are most certainly open to doing that.”
Speaking to reporters, Education Minister Duncan said he spoke to STF President Samantha Becotte prior to going to Washington, and then again earlier that day. Duncan said he committed to meeting with her within the next week or two to talk not just about the rally but also what was discussed.
Duncan also reconfirmed what Premier Moe had indicated that day about doing a midyear adjustment, similar to what happened in November of 2022 when additional funding was provided to divisions following an enrolment increase.
“We know that school divisions are facing a similar situation, so I already have meetings with a couple of the urban school divisions, larger urban school divisions, next week to discuss a request that they have made to look at a couple of different options in terms of additional enrolment growth dollars. So we will be sitting down and discussing with them that. I can now confirm with them that we will be providing additional dollars, so now we will just be working with school divisions to determine the amount and frankly the timing of when these dollars will flow.”
Beck believes rally made a difference
Opposition Leader Beck made it known she believed the rally at the legislature may have made a difference in the government’s response on the issue.
“I think the fact that there were 3000 people, teachers and supporters on the front steps of the Legislature, sending a clear message to this government, may have finally gotten through to them,” said Beck.
She did express frustrations, however, over cuts that she said are coming about in school divisions already due to underfunding in this year‘s provincial budget.
“It has already meant that there were more teachers last week and again this week who are hearing about cuts to the schools and cuts to positions. I think it’s been incredibly disruptive and hurtful and disrespectful. But I am glad to see some funds get out to school divisions, but there’s a lot of repair to do, given that this is a government that’s underfunded education for a decade.”
