SASKATCHEWAN TEACHERS' FEDERATION
New Provincial Collective Agreement Secures Additional Funding for School Divisions

Regina Public Schools has proposed restructuring the elementary band program for the 2025-26 school year, sparking concern from teachers, parents and arts groups in Regina. A memo from the school division seems to imply the division's funding challenges are the result of the new 2023-2026 Provincial Collective Bargaining Agreement. This is simply not true; new class complexity clauses in the PCBA are ensuring school divisions receive more funding from the province to support students' needs.

As school divisions prepare their budgets, some may still face difficult decisions. It's important to be clear: these challenges are not a result of the PCBA. As a result of binding arbitration, the provincial government has provided additional funding to school divisions to fund the class complexity clauses of the PCBA. This includes fully funding approximately 515 new teaching positions and a $20-million class complexity fund.

"Band and other music programs exist in schools because they, like other subject areas and programs, offer important opportunities for students' learning and development," says Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation President Samantha Becotte. "We all need to work together to ensure that students' needs are met; teachers and parents can't do it alone. If provincial funding falls short of what is needed to meet priorities within the division, trustees and division leadership share in the responsibility to advocate for improved funding."

It is the role of locally elected school boards to make funding decisions, within the constraints of provincial funding, that reflect the needs and priorities of the communities they serve; however, public education in Saskatchewan has experienced chronic underfunding for more than a decade. This new investment to begin addressing class complexity was achieved through the determination of teachers and the support of parents and caregivers. While it is a positive step, it will take sustained and consistent funding to reverse the long-term impacts.