Vote for public education. That’s the message from the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation ahead of the provincial election and the election for school board members. President Samantha Becotte suggests schools aren’t the same as they were years ago when many of us were going to school. She says nearly 10 years of provincial budget cuts have led to ballooning class sizes, less access to services for students, and an increase in classroom complexity with fewer resources per student to handle the challenges.
But before rolling out the STF’s public education campaign, Becotte touched on the tragic event at Evan Hardy Collegiate last week where it’s alleged a student poured liquid on another student and set her on fire. The 15-year-old is now in hospital in Edmonton. Becotte says the STF’s thoughts are all of the victims impacted, either directly or indirectly, and with everyone connected to education. She notes that there have been many conversations online, in the media, and in the public about whether classroom complexity and the lack of resources may have contributed. STF’s President stresses that while violence is addressed in their platform, it is not included as a response to the attack, so she won’t be commenting on the case. “Violence and aggression are and continue to be growing issues in school across the province and we need everyone connected to education working together to ensure proactive solutions are put in place.”
The STF is advocating for strengthening public education by restoring and maintaining per-student funding to 2015-16 levels, addressing class size and complexity, and addressing the growing concerns of classroom violence. The teachers’ union is asking voters to check out the Vote for Public Education campaign and ask candidates questions about where they stand, and she hopes politicians and policy makers will include funding public education in their platforms. Click here to access the platform.
The provincial election will be on or before October 28th. City and town elections, odd-numbered divisions in rural municipalities and the Board of Education Trustee elections are November 13th. The election for even-numbered divisions in RMs is November 9th. Elections Saskatchewan says by law, the minimum writ period is 27 days and the maximum is 34. In both 2020 and 2016, the province had 27-day writ periods. So, with the last day of voting scheduled for October 28, 2024, the latest day to issue writs is October 1, and the earliest possible date to issue writs is September 24.
