Saskatchewan teachers won't supervise extracurricular activities March 11 to13, nor noon-hour supervision in some schools on March 11, renewing calls by opposition parties to settle the labour dispute.Saskatchewan Teachers Federation (STF) President Samantha Becotte says teachers regret the continuation of job action but remain steadfast that measures to address class size and complexity must be part of the provincial collective agreement.“While this week’s funding announcement is welcome, it does not guarantee ongoing, predictable and sustainable funding for education,” Becotte says. “We have said on many occasions that a new collective agreement is within reach; government simply has to come to the bargaining table with a mandate to negotiate class size and complexity.”Last week, the Saskatchewan Party government announced $180 million in new annual funding for education, including an additional $45 million to address class size and complexity. In comments to reporters at the legislature, education minister Jeremy Cockrill said guaranteed caps on class sizes would never be part of a contract, partly because school boards don't want to be bound by them.In a press release, the Opposition NDP criticized the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Education and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) as a step away from "bargaining in good faith" with teachers due to the "fine print" of the "side-deal."The NDP points out the “commitments” in the MOU are explicitly “subject to appropriation," which means whatever the province budgets for. The fine print further specifies that “any budgetary increases are to be considered in future budget cycles.”Saskatchewan NDP Education Critic Matt Love said the agreements were "not worth the paper they're written on" and it was up to Premier Scott Moe to meet the teachers' demands on class sizes.“If he’s serious about ending this job action, he would bring this deal back to the table and get an agreement in writing,” said Love.“It’s absolutely disgraceful the way the Sask. Party has undervalued our kids’ teachers, underfunded their classrooms and ignored local voices in education.”The Sask United Party said job action by 13,500 teachers in the long dispute was denying children "essential experiences.""The teachers federation job action in Saskatchewan is an outright travesty, not merely a wage dispute. It's a catastrophic blow to our children's education, with their extracurricular activities, clubs and sports being put on hold," said Jon Hromek, Sask United Deputy Leader."Immediate, decisive action is imperative, not these endless conflicts. Moe’s government and the teachers federation must prioritize our children above all. The ongoing strikes and job actions are causing unacceptable harm to our kids and this negligence must end now!" The withdrawal of extracurricular activities on Monday, March 11 means teachers will not provide voluntary services involved in the organization, supervision and facilitation of activities including athletics, non-curricular arts, field trips, student travel, graduation preparations, school clubs and other activities.Withdrawal of noon-hour supervision on Monday, March 11 means STF members will not supervise students who are eating lunch at school or taking part in noon-hour activities. Although teachers, including principals and vice principals, often provide lunch break supervision, it is done on a voluntary basis. Student supervision is the responsibility of the school division and supervisors are not required to be teachers. Withdrawal of noon-hour supervision will involve teachers in the school divisions of Creighton, Holy Trinity Catholic, Horizon, Lloydminster (public and Catholic), Northwest, Prairie South, Prairie Valley, Saskatchewan Rivers, and Prince Albert Catholic.The Saskatchewan government offered a 7% increase in teacher's pay over three years, while teachers asked for a 23% increase. Estimates by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation placed the average teacher wage at $92,000 annually in 2023, or $484 per instructional day. This compared to $61,000 for the average Saskatchewanian, based on average weekly earnings.In a post to Twitter ("X") March 8, Premier Moe pointed out the total funding for classroom size and complexity would exceed $356 million over the next four years and called on teachers to come to the bargaining table.
Saskatchewan teachers won't supervise extracurricular activities March 11 to13, nor noon-hour supervision in some schools on March 11, renewing calls by opposition parties to settle the labour dispute.Saskatchewan Teachers Federation (STF) President Samantha Becotte says teachers regret the continuation of job action but remain steadfast that measures to address class size and complexity must be part of the provincial collective agreement.“While this week’s funding announcement is welcome, it does not guarantee ongoing, predictable and sustainable funding for education,” Becotte says. “We have said on many occasions that a new collective agreement is within reach; government simply has to come to the bargaining table with a mandate to negotiate class size and complexity.”Last week, the Saskatchewan Party government announced $180 million in new annual funding for education, including an additional $45 million to address class size and complexity. In comments to reporters at the legislature, education minister Jeremy Cockrill said guaranteed caps on class sizes would never be part of a contract, partly because school boards don't want to be bound by them.In a press release, the Opposition NDP criticized the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Education and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) as a step away from "bargaining in good faith" with teachers due to the "fine print" of the "side-deal."The NDP points out the “commitments” in the MOU are explicitly “subject to appropriation," which means whatever the province budgets for. The fine print further specifies that “any budgetary increases are to be considered in future budget cycles.”Saskatchewan NDP Education Critic Matt Love said the agreements were "not worth the paper they're written on" and it was up to Premier Scott Moe to meet the teachers' demands on class sizes.“If he’s serious about ending this job action, he would bring this deal back to the table and get an agreement in writing,” said Love.“It’s absolutely disgraceful the way the Sask. Party has undervalued our kids’ teachers, underfunded their classrooms and ignored local voices in education.”The Sask United Party said job action by 13,500 teachers in the long dispute was denying children "essential experiences.""The teachers federation job action in Saskatchewan is an outright travesty, not merely a wage dispute. It's a catastrophic blow to our children's education, with their extracurricular activities, clubs and sports being put on hold," said Jon Hromek, Sask United Deputy Leader."Immediate, decisive action is imperative, not these endless conflicts. Moe’s government and the teachers federation must prioritize our children above all. The ongoing strikes and job actions are causing unacceptable harm to our kids and this negligence must end now!" The withdrawal of extracurricular activities on Monday, March 11 means teachers will not provide voluntary services involved in the organization, supervision and facilitation of activities including athletics, non-curricular arts, field trips, student travel, graduation preparations, school clubs and other activities.Withdrawal of noon-hour supervision on Monday, March 11 means STF members will not supervise students who are eating lunch at school or taking part in noon-hour activities. Although teachers, including principals and vice principals, often provide lunch break supervision, it is done on a voluntary basis. Student supervision is the responsibility of the school division and supervisors are not required to be teachers. Withdrawal of noon-hour supervision will involve teachers in the school divisions of Creighton, Holy Trinity Catholic, Horizon, Lloydminster (public and Catholic), Northwest, Prairie South, Prairie Valley, Saskatchewan Rivers, and Prince Albert Catholic.The Saskatchewan government offered a 7% increase in teacher's pay over three years, while teachers asked for a 23% increase. Estimates by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation placed the average teacher wage at $92,000 annually in 2023, or $484 per instructional day. This compared to $61,000 for the average Saskatchewanian, based on average weekly earnings.In a post to Twitter ("X") March 8, Premier Moe pointed out the total funding for classroom size and complexity would exceed $356 million over the next four years and called on teachers to come to the bargaining table.