Local students join the [picket line at a rally during a one-day strike on Jan. 16 in Prince Albert. (Submitted Photo)

By paNOW Staff

COUNTDOWN TO JOB ACTION

P.A. Parents, school boards prepare for second one-day teachers strike

Jan 19, 2024 | 12:00 PM

Another province-wide teacher strike is coming in just a few days as school boards in Prince Albert do their best to keep parents informed.

On Thursday, the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation (STF) announced another one-day strike would take place on Jan. 22. The STF said that despite the support they received on their last day of job action on Jan. 16, the province refuses to bargain on the issues that matter to them.

At the crux of the issue is the teachers’ desire to negotiate on class sizes and classroom complexities. The Sask. Party government has said numerous times that that is the responsibility of school boards and not a part of collective bargaining with teachers.

Following the STF announcement on Thursday, Finance Minister Donna Harpauer defended that stance saying that while class sizes and complexities are serious issues, they have committed more than $53 million, post-budget to address them.

“However, it’s very problematic to have it at a collective bargaining table, in that they’re not the only profession that is in the education system,” she said.

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Harpauer added that the province believes other professionals would need to be hired to address the classroom complexity issues, and that managing the budget for complexities should be the responsibility of school divisions.

READ MORE: P.A. child care spaces unable to help families during one-day teacher strike

Education Minister and Battlefords MLA Jeremy Cockrill previously said that he remained steadfast in his direction to address class size and complexity with school boards and school divisions, rather than with the STF.

“We are working with school divisions. We announced a pilot project last week that’s working with eight specific school divisions on specialized support classrooms… if that pilot is successful… if we start to see progress and improvements in outcomes… we would absolutely look at expanding that pilot out to more divisions and more schools,” he said.

Cockrill also said he expects to see improvement in class sizes, although he didn’t specify how that would be accomplished.

Director of Education, Lorel Trumier with the Prince Albert Catholic School Division spoke to paNOW after the strike announcement saying they have been doing everything they can to keep parents informed about what’s happening. A letter was sent to parents informing them of the strike and that schools would be cancelled.

When speaking on the bargaining issues brought up by the STF, Trumier acknowledged that teachers and school boards are trying to improve working conditions for themselves and students.

“We have finite resources in this province and so it’s striking the balance of how to meet those needs at the end of the day,” she said. “We’re no different than the other 26 school divisions. Costs of doing business are getting higher and the cost of resources are increasing and so all of those things are pressures certainly on the budgets that exist.”

Trumier added that enrolment numbers are rising for students but that’s not the same when it comes to resources needed or available. She gave an example of having to purchase site licencing on top of textbooks and other materials.

“We need to contend with and the world’s changing around us and that’s what’s also changing the pressures on budgets,” she said, citing that the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual learning and school closures brought all new challenges to the education system.

The Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division (SRPSD) has also been proactive in informing parents about job action from teachers through its website or social media channels. In an e-mail to paNOW, the SRPSD said they couldn’t comment on provincial bargaining items as that belongs at the negotiating table.

The Saskatchewan School Boards Association also couldn’t comment on teachers bargaining out of respect for the process.

“Local boards work within their means and the resources they are provided to offer high-quality education – however, the provincial government is solely responsible for the funding of education,” said SSBA President Jaimie Smith-Windsor in a statement on Jan. 17.

–With files from 980 CJME

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panews@pattisonmedia.com