There’s a differing matter of opinion when it comes to Saskatchewan schools and their funding as kids head back to the classroom this week. The province says students and teachers are poised for a successful and strongly supported year, while the opposition NDP says new data shows how far that funding has fallen.
A release from the province’s Ministry of Education says that funding initiatives are in place to better support better K-Grade 3 literacy outcomes with investments in new strategies and supports. The Ministry also touts its contributions for classroom complexity teachers, a by-product of the most recent contract negotiations and its settlement this spring. It also acknowledged the expansion of specialized support classrooms with a promise of rolling out 200 additional such classrooms in the coming school year.
"Saskatchewan schools are giving our students their best start and the start of a new school year is a memorable and an exciting experience," Education Minister Everett Hindley said. "This is a big day for students, families and educators across the province, and I want to wish everyone a successful 2025-26 school year."
Where the opposition New Democrats are concerned, there’s still a marked shortfall in funding when Saskatchewan is held up to other provinces. In its own release, the NDP cited data provided by the Fraser Institute showing that Saskatchewan had the second largest decrease in per-student funding, adjusted for inflation, at –14.8 per cent. Saskatchewan took a back seat only to Alberta in the size of the decrease, the NDP said.
“This data makes clear what we hear from parents, teachers, educational assistants and students each and every day — that the Sask. Party has failed on education,” said Matt Love, Saskatchewan NDP Education Shadow Minister. “After 18 years in power, this government is out of ideas and only focused on paying off their friends and insiders. They can’t even properly support educating Saskatchewan’s students — our future leaders. It’s shameful.”
Love noted the efforts of thousands of teachers advocating for funding increases to deal with class size and complexity during its lengthy negotiations with the government. He called for an immediate increase in funding to further support schools and students.