Wall’s comments on ruling disappoint public schools

The organization representing public school divisions in Saskatchewan says Premier Brad Wall’s comments after a court ruling on funding are disappointing.

Public Schools of Saskatchewan says the province is choosing not to acknowledge that the ruling says government funding of non-Catholic students to attend Catholic schools violates Canada’s Constitution.

The ruling released last week said the province can’t provide funding to Catholic schools for students who aren’t Catholic.

Wall said Monday the ruling cannot stand and the province will see what can be done to successfully manoeuvre around it.

The premier raised concerns that the ruling means thousands of students could be forced to switch schools.

But Public Schools of Saskatchewan says any disruption caused by students moving from separate schools “is a product of the unilateral decision of Catholic schools to admit those students.”

The ruling stems from a lawsuit over the province’s policy of funding separate schools based solely on student enrolment.

The dispute began in 2003 when the Yorkdale School Division, now the Good Spirit School Division, closed a school in Theodore because of declining enrolment.

The division planned to bus the 42 students to Springside, 17 kilometres away.

In response, a local group created its own Catholic school division and opened St. Theodore Roman Catholic School. That prompted the lawsuit. The school division alleged the new school was opened to prevent the busing of students, rather than to serve the Catholic population.