Province ‘disappointed’ in STF’s decision to impose sanctions

Saskatchewan’s education minister said Monday he was “a little disappointed” the province’s teachers are to begin withholding services Thursday.

“Last week we met with the president of the union and informed (the union) that I had a new mandate to go back to the bargaining table to talk about compensation,” Gord Wyant told reporters. “I also informed him at that meeting that we had a proposal to talk about how we can move forward on the issue of class complexity and class composition.

“They’ve chosen to walk away from those conversations and not return to the bargaining table and so we’re disappointed.”

The announcement Monday by the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) is the latest step in the labour dispute between the union and the provincial government.

STF president Patrick Maze said that despite acknowledging the complexity and composition of classrooms, the government continues to be unwilling to provide adequate support for students.

“It’s unfortunate news,” he said at a media conference in Saskatoon. “It will affect students and parents, and we hope that it raises attention to the government underfunding education.

“This is a chronic underfunding that has happened over the last several years and it has brought us to this point.”

Wyant said the government’s bargaining committee has a new offer prepared to be presented at the bargaining table.

“It’s the union that has walked away from these negotiations and it’s the union that has walked away from the children in our classrooms,” Wyant said.

On Feb. 10 and 11, teachers voted 90.2 per cent in favour of sanctions. Maze said Under the Restriction of Services sanction, all federation members will:

• Continue to provide students with the best possible learning opportunities during the school day;
• Report to school and provide professional service no more than 15 minutes prior to the start of the school day and not later than 15 minutes after the conclusion of the school day;
• Continue to provide student supervision such as recess, lunch or bus supervision within the time frame specified above; and,
• Not provide any voluntary or extracurricular services.

In response to the teachers’ release, Regina Public Schools said in a letter sent home with students that it would be cancelling all extracurricular activities, including practices, games, tournaments, drama and music-related activities, as well as all school clubs.

The division also said bus pickup and dropoff times may change. As well, it noted that students who aren’t transported by the division shouldn’t arrive at school until 15 minutes before the first bell and should be prepared to leave school within 15 minutes of dismissal at the end of the day.

The division said “all classes and curricular school activities will continue as scheduled,” including parent-teacher conferences.

Spokespeople for the Regina Catholic and Prairie Valley school divisions said they too would cancel all extracurricular activities and would be putting the same time restrictions in place for students to arrive at and leave school.

Any changes in transportation would be communicated directly to students’ families.

Maze explained what message he hopes the actions send to the government.

“Saying that you’re trying to balance the books on the backs of our students is not acceptable to teachers right across the province, and it shouldn’t be acceptable to parents either,” Maze said. “Parents should be joining us, and demanding that their (children) receive a quality education.”

The sanctions are to remain in effect until further notice.

Negotiations on a contract began in May of last year, and there aren’t any scheduled talks between the two sides at this time.

The province offered a $25-million fund over five years that would be matched by the STF and was initially suggested by the union.

“The idea was to put together a fund over a period of time so that we could start the process of working on the issue of composition within the classroom because we know it’s a challenge,” Wyant said.

He said the contributions to that fund on a yearly basis could have provided up to 100 professionals to deliver services to the students.

“We know that we can’t solve this problem overnight so (as for) the suggestion that we just throw $125 million at a problem without having a path forward to solving it, I don’t think that’s the right way to go,” Wyant said.

Maze said students and parents have an opportunity to reach out to those in power to push the government to get back to the table.

“Contact their MLA, contact the education minister, let them know that the situations in our schools are not acceptable,” he said. “Students deserve the best possible education. Right now, we’re just asking that the education system be brought up to the status quo.”

The STF confirmed that as far as it is concerned, parent-teacher conferences planned in Regina in March are unaffected by the withdrawal of services announced.

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Brady Lang and 980 CJME’s Adriana Christianson