Sask teachers to take noon hour off in fight for better pay

The Saskatchewan Teachers Federation has called on its members to refuse to offer noon-hour supervision on Thursday.The withdrawal of noon-hour supervision means teachers will not be available to supervise students who are eating lunch at school or taking part in noon-hour activities. Teachers will leave the building during each school’s designated lunch break period. Although teachers often provide lunch break supervision, it is done on a voluntary basis.The responsibility to provide the necessary level of supervision to ensure student safety is held by school divisions under The Education Act, 1995. School divisions will make parents and caregivers aware of any operational or schedule changes due to Thursday’s job action.“A decade of government funding cuts has meant parents in several school divisions are forced to pay out-of-pocket fees of $100 or more for their kids to stay at school over the noon hour,” says Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation President Samantha Becotte.“School boards face the impossible task of balancing government funding shortfalls and the rising costs of services that students need. Students and families are caught in the middle and I encourage every parent and caregiver in the province to let our government officials know how they feel about that.”In a press release, the STF says these actions will negatively affect families, but parents should take their complaints to the government."Teachers understand that the withdrawal of noon-hour supervision will be an inconvenience to many families. Parents and caregivers concerned about the impact of job action should contact their MLAs and elected school board trustees and urge them to get the government’s bargaining committee back to the table," the release explained.On Wednesday, February 7, a third round of rotating strikes will take place in the following divisions:Creighton School DivisionNorthern Lights School DivisionPrairie Spirit School DivisionGreater Saskatoon Catholic SchoolsSaskatoon Public SchoolsThe strike action includes Francophone schools and Saskatchewan Distance Learning Centre teachers who work at a school or regional campus within the geographic boundaries of the public school divisions listed above. The job action involves approximately 4,300 teachers and will affect classes for approximately 65,300 students.“Government thinks they can wait us out, but they have failed to account for the most important factors. Teachers are fed up and are united. There is strong and growing support for the action we’re taking because students, parents, businesses and communities know we all deserve better,” says Becotte. “People are witnessing the crisis unfolding in public schools and they are not being fooled by the government’s spin."The STF organized 'Tell them Tuesday' to motivate the public to lobby the government back to the bargaining table. The STF wants a 23.5% increase over four years, while the provincial government has offered 7% over three years. Teachers also want more classroom supports and fewer students per class.Last August, then-education minister Dustin Duncan told CKOM News that the average teacher in Saskatchewan makes $92,000 a year.Duncan said the $92,000 is the pay for the Class IV, Step 11 of the teachers’ pay scale, which is a person with a four-year degree and at least 11 years of experience. He said nearly 70% of Saskatchewan teachers have reached Class IV.At the time, Becotte told CKOM the minimum for teachers to start — about $60,000 is 3.7% to 4.5% less than other provinces and the maximum a teacher can make — just over $100,000 — is 4.5% less than other provinces.The average Saskatchewan resident earns about $61,000 per year, according to calculations by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, which adds that Western Canadian teachers outside of Saskatchewan make $90,300.The CTF says schools in Saskatchewan average 190 school days a year, meaning teachers make $484 per day for each day they are at work. Teacher salary and benefits made up half of total school division spending in 2021.