STF concerned as government signals no additional funds for education

After three years of living with the consequences of less money for classrooms, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation has expressed alarm over government talk of a “maintain and sustain budget” for 2019-20.

“We’re at least $16 million below where we were before the March 2017 austerity budget,” STF President Patrick Maze said. “Signalling no increase in operating funding this year is bad for students and bad for teachers.”

According to media reports, Premier Scott Moe said on February 2 that municipalities would be among the only groups getting more money in 2019.

Following that speech, Finance Minister Donna Harpauer added she was walking a “tight line” with the 2019-20 provincial budget. Harpauer is planning only to “maintain and sustain” funding for education, social services and health care.

“I certainly hope that, at the very least, the Finance Minister’s definition of ‘sustain’ takes into account enrolment increases and the cost of inflation,” Maze said. “The cold, hard reality is it’s going to take more money to educate more children this year.”