It’s a positive response from the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation when it comes to the provincial budget. The $2.66 billion allocation for K-12 education, a 2.3 percent increase from the previous year, signals a strong commitment to public education, says the organization in a press release. 

“There are always resource challenges in schools and we always hope for funding increases beyond inflation and enrollment increases. However, these are difficult times for citizens and for the government. A budget always requires tough choices to be made and the pandemic has increased financial pressure on the provincial government,” said STF President Patrick Maze. “This budget essentially holds the line for education. Given the circumstances, this is a realistic approach.”

While Maze is generally pleased with the response of the Moe government, he notes that there will still be pressures felt in schools in terms of resources both during and after the pandemic.

“The challenges we had pre-pandemic haven’t gone away and now there are new ones. Students have all had very different experiences over the last year that will need to be addressed,” said Maze. “School divisions will still have to make difficult decisions.”

The pandemic and interruptions in regular school programming have had effects on students in a variety of ways. A Federation survey completed in February indicates that 69.4 percent of respondents were concerned about students’ menthol health and 61 percent advocated an increase in individual attention will be needed. There are also indications that more non-teaching resources like educational psychologists, counsellors, and educational assistants are critical.