Gov’t forcing school divisions to make tough budget decisions: Sask. NDP

The Saskatchewan NDP gave the provincial government a failing grade Thursday for its education funding.

In a media release, the Opposition said school divisions around the province likely are going to have to make cuts to services in order to present balanced budgets to the government by June 30.

The NDP pointed specifically to the Saskatoon Public School Division, which took to Twitter to address a projected deficit of $8 million.

The Board of Education is facing an $8-million deficit as it prepares its 2021-22 budget. Saskatoon Public Schools spends $9 of every $10 it receives on instruction and schools. Here is information about the division’s budget process, its spending, and funding. #spslearn #yxe pic.twitter.com/77NJMw0O2j

— Saskatoon Public (@StoonPubSchools) May 17, 2021

“Premier Scott Moe told people across the province during the last election campaign that there would be no cuts, but now we see the truth: This is a government that has chosen to cut supports to the classroom during a pandemic,” Education Critic Carla Beck said in the release.

The NDP noted the Saskatchewan Party government’s budget promised an increase of $19.2 million in funding to school divisions, but claimed all of that money ending up going towards the new collective bargaining agreement with the province’s teachers.

The Opposition also released a copy of the Ministry of Education’s funding plans for 2021-22 compared to 2020-21. The chart showed that nine school divisions are getting less money from the government than in the previous year, and that funding for all of the divisions in the province is going up by just 1.1 per cent.

The NDP called on the government “to provide immediate interim operating funding to ensure no school divisions are forced to pass budgets that involve cuts to staff and the supports students rely on, and work with Saskatchewan school divisions to come up with a recovery plan for schools for the 2021-22 school year and beyond that will take into account the learning, social and mental health needs of our students coming out of the pandemic — and fund those needs appropriately.”

In an emailed statement, the government said the operating funding for school divisions is allocated by using projected enrolments on budget day and then updated once enrolments are confirmed in September.

“In order to maintain funding stability during the pandemic, funding was not updated in fall 2020,” the statement said. “Projected enrolments for September 2021 are approximately 1,100 students lower than the enrolments used to determine the funding pool last year.

“This provides school divisions with approximately $6 million of additional funding as operating funding has not been reduced for this change. School divisions will also realize more than $3 million of savings from the SaskPower and SGI rebates that have not been adjusted for in the 2021-22 budget.”

The government added school divisions also are to receive $20.7 million from the COVID contingency fund after getting $4.9 million in March for personal protective equipment. Overall, the province has made available more than $150 million from the COVID contingency fund to school divisions, qualified independent schools, and historical high schools.