Saskatchewan’s boldness offers a lesson

Qualified Independent Schools a model for Canada, Deani Van Pelt writes.

It’s back to the books across the country, and when it comes to independent schools there’s a lesson the rest of Canada can learn from Saskatchewan.

Six years ago, Saskatchewan boldly established a new category of funded independent schools — Qualified Independent Schools (QIS). Bold because little change in independent school funding had taken place across the country for some years.

Up until 2012, about a third of independent schools in Saskatchewan were eligible to receive some government funding, either for historical reasons or due to the type of students they served. The new category would open funding to a wider diversity of independent schools.

British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec were already ahead and offered between 35 and 70 per cent of the per-pupil funding allotment for local public schools to a wide diversity of eligible independent schools.

But Ontario and the Atlantic Provinces, entrenched as they are in more monopolistic views about education delivery, are behind and offer no such options for their independent schools. Saskatchewan’s QIS change is relevant to them as a story in policy change and as a reminder the world does not fall apart when policies are instituted that create more equitable arrangements for minorities.

Qualified Independent Schools receive per-student funding at half the provincial per-pupil average. They comply with regulations such as the requirement to be nonprofit, adhere to provincial curriculum, allow ministry supervision and inspection and hire certified teachers.

A recent Cardus study using Saskatchewan ministry data (2011-12 to 2017-18) found that parents and independent schools responded to the change. In the first year, half of the non-funded independent schools in the province became qualified independent schools. After that, the number of qualified independent schools stayed virtually the same. To be precise, in 2017-18 there were 63 independent schools in Saskatchewan, and 19 of them were QIS. Initially, there were 20.

Over the six years, although the number of qualified independent schools hasn’t grown, enrolments have, by about 24 per cent. But the numbers are small, moving from 608 to 834 students.

So, was the policy change disruptive? This is where the provinces in Eastern Canada might want to start taking notes. Any major changes occurred only in the first year of the policy change. This likely reflected pent-up demand for more alternative and affordable options, but after that, the effects were stable and absolute growth was small.

The new funding led to benefits for all stakeholders. The province itself argued that expanding independent school funding serves the public good through the establishment of innovative new schools, increased parent satisfaction and improved relationships between independent schools and the education ministry.

Parents and students have more choice. Schools have improved stability, credibility, and professional development for teachers, and government benefits through improved transparency of independent school operations. Furthermore, Saskatchewan’s public and Catholic separate schools have not been starved of students through this initiative. The latest available data (2014-15) show 2.4 per cent of Saskatchewan students attended an independent school, with more than 95 per cent in the fully funded public and Catholic systems. Those who wanted affordable options received them without causing a stampede.

Others may worry that public funding of independent schools directs public dollars to religious groups. While about seven in 10 Saskatchewan independent schools are religious, the sector is trending slowly downward, while non-religious specialty schools are trending upward as a share of independent schools in the province.

Saskatchewan has bold lessons for the rest of Canada on improving independent schooling. Qualified Independent Schools offer a positive case study in the non-disruptive nature of a change in independent school policy. Van Pelt is a Cardus Senior Fellow and author of Qualified Independent Schools in Saskatchewan: An Examination of a Recent Policy Change for a New Category of Funded Independent Schools