A lack of progress in bargaining meetings between the provincial government and the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation is proving quite frustrating for STF members.

Three meetings have taken place so far, with no results to show for it. STF President Samantha Becotte says the main issues Saskatchewan public schools are facing right now are class size and complexity. For example, in the last year, there has been a 40 per cent increase in children with intense needs who require additional support. Also, she says there is an extreme shortage of speech language pathologists across the province. She often hears that students with the highest needs are only receiving three, 10-minute sessions of speech therapy, which is far from enough.
Becotte says the province is very reluctant to tackle these issues, even with a $1 billion surplus that arose in the most recent provincial budget. She says ideally, over the next several meetings throughout summer and fall, the government would at least agree to a discussion on the topic.
She adds that underfunding affects both students and staff, as children are falling behind in their reading and speaking skills, and professionals don’t want to work in a province with limited funding to spend on education.