Saskatchewan Teachers Federation president Patrick Maze said the Saskatoon public school division鈥檚 $8 million budget shortfall for the coming academic year is a significant concern with those working in the education sector dealing with the ongoing pandemic the entire school year.
Restrictions and other guidelines were put in place before the start of the school year with wearing face masks and other protective gear mandatory to all students and staff with some classes being held online or either at any other video software programs.
Maze praised everyone in the school division for rising to the challenge and doing a remarkable job even with strict restrictions enforced by the provincial government to stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had everyone feeling drained and exhausted.
鈥淚t is not just the case of needing a summer break. [It is] also the case of needing things to be addressed so that students are set up for success and support is also in place so that teachers don鈥檛 feel that they are trying to be everything to everyone.鈥�
He said the looming layoffs due to the shortfall will have a significant impact in the coming school year, not only for the teachers but also the students as well.
鈥淕oing by SPS numbers, they indicated that there would be a decrease of 32.5 [FTE] school-based teaching positions. Which includes 13.5 [FTE] elementary, seven [FTE] high school secondary, 2.25 [FTE] career facilitators, 2.75 [FTE] teacher-librarians, and seven [FTE] EAL teachers.鈥�
Maze added it is the students who would end up suffering for the next school year with the expected layoffs on teaching personnel.
鈥淏ecause teachers can鈥檛 be everything with everyone. There鈥檚 a point that we have been saying for years that teachers can鈥檛 do everything. They are going to get home feeling exhausted, feeling overwhelmed, feeling that they didn鈥檛 do a good job because they could not reach every student and it is frustrating because they know that tomorrow is going to be just the same.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 no extra help coming, no extra support, and that is when you get to develop long-term burnout. When you go day-after-day doing your best, but knowing your best isn鈥檛 good enough. So, 32.5 full time equivalent school-based teaching positions and 9.7 full time equivalent community school EAs, and EAs are in high demand.鈥�
He said that EAs make a difference in every classroom.
鈥淚t helps to have an extra set of eyes and help those students who are struggling and they can be supported by an EA. To cut that, again means that the teachers are being asked to do more with less.鈥�
Maze added EALs also provide help to children of immigrants. Much of our population increase in Saskatchewan are new Canadians and we rely on those EAL supporters. Without them, they [students] just sit in the classroom and don鈥檛 have the support to help understand the other students in the classroom. So that is a huge concern, because these cuts are falling on the most vulnerable people in the classroom, those newcomers who have difficulty understanding the language. It is a huge loss.鈥�
That is why the STF is also asking the government to provide the right funds for education.
鈥淪o, we are all advocating to the government to make sure every school division is properly funded and that support is also in place to make sure the students are successful. We need teachers to be able to focus on what they are good at, which is teaching and make sure other professionals are in place in order to do the work that they are charged with as well.鈥�
鈥淢aking sure that students have access to speech language pathologists and educational psychologists. So, teachers are not doing mental health counselling with students when really, technically, even though teachers are very caring people and in the absence of anyone, they are going to try to fill the gaps. But they should not be doing mental health counselling. We should have educational psychologists and school counsellors who can do that. Even social workers and teachers are just being pulled in too many directions right now.鈥�
Maze said the budget shortfall is another indication that once classes open in September, teachers are going to be asked to do even more with less.
鈥淔ewer EAs, fewer teacher librarians, fewer consultants to approach if they have concerns on some students who are having trouble in some of the learning concepts. It is not a good situation.鈥�
鈥淎nother significant concern were the consultants in First Nations Inuit and M茅tis, like that is a huge loss. Teachers who are not, maybe, too familiar or not too familiar on teaching Treaties in the classroom. How can we make sure the First Nations, Inuit and M茅tis students are assisted and represented in these classrooms. Without these consultants, now they don鈥檛 have anybody to access in the same way that they have been in previous years.鈥�
鈥淚t is really unfortunate and a step backwards and we are really hoping that the government would recognize that it is their responsibility to fund school divisions and make sure that investments are there for education for Saskatchewan鈥檚 future,鈥� Maze added.
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