Province unveils plan to address enrolment growth as teachers prepare to strike

As Saskatchewan teachers prepare to hit the picket lines on Friday, the provincial government is rolling out a plan aiming to address enrolment growth in schools.

Class size has been a primary sticking point for teachers during the deadlocked negotiations, with the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation pushing for stipulations on class size to be built into the new contract.

While Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill has acknowledged the issue, the government has so far been adamant that class size should not be part of the collective agreement.

Saskatchewan’s population reached an all-time high of 1,218,976 on Oct. 1, with the province adding 31,369 people over the past 12 months.

On Thursday, the provincial government announced a new formula designed to support schools dealing with rising enrolment, particularly due to immigration.

The new formula includes a threshold to determine the eligibility of schools for post-September funding in order to support rising enrolment. The government said the formula measures growth from Oct. 1 to Jan. 31 and projects future numbers through the spring in order to allow school divisions to put plans and staff in place. Enrolment growth during the school year is evaluated at the division level.

“This option recognizes significant in-year enrolment growth and allocates funding to where the need is greatest,” the ministry said in a statement.

“We know that enrolment growth has been trending upward for the past number of years and we continue to work with school boards to fund enrolment increases to support students, teachers and staff in the classroom,” Cockrill added.

The provincial government also announced a $32-million investment to add 45 new portable classrooms to schools around the province, primarily in Saskatoon and Regina where growth has been greatest.

Meanwhile, teachers across Saskatchewan are preparing to withdraw lunch-hour supervision on Friday. The union is also resuming its rotating strikes that day after two days of planned negotiations this week failed to bring about an agreement.

The union is also seeking a salary increase and measures to address classroom complexity – the number of students in each class who require additional help and support.