Thousands rally in Regina for increased education funding | 24CA News
“No more cuts.”
That was the message being unfold throughout the steps of the Regina Legislative Building by over 3,000 lecturers, college students and group members on Saturday, throughout a rally for public schooling.
“This is just the beginning of the fight that we will have if we do not start seeing this government put a real investment into public education,” stated Saskatchewan Teachers Federation (STF) president. Samantha Becotte,
People from throughout the province have been in attendance, demanding the provincial authorities cease cuts to public schooling, and supply funding to fulfill all college students’ wants.
“It has taken decades of cuts to get to this point,” Becotte defined. “Teachers do their best to make do with what we have but we see more burnout in teachers and more teachers leaving the province.”
Frustration has been mounting for a lot of with the cuts they’re seeing.
“Teachers are mad as hell and we’re not going to take this anymore,” stated Jenny Regal, with the Canadian Teachers Federation.
“Who suffers? The children suffer? Who Cares? We care!” Judy Henley, the CUPE Saskatchewan president stated as she seemed out over these gathered Saturday.
People from throughout the province gathered in Regina for the rally.
Troy Charles / Global News
“There are school boards who are calling out the government to reinject some additional funds into this school year because of the unprecedented enrollment growth that they’ve seen within their classes,” stated Saskatchewan Teachers Federation president Samantha Becotte.
Troy Charles / Global News
And whereas it’s largely lecturers rallying for change, the main target of all of it stays on the scholars.
“Every person in this province deserves a high-quality education,” Becotte stated. “We are ready to stand up and demand more.”
Becotte stated there’s solely been one 12 months within the final decade the place the rise in schooling funding was above the speed of inflation.
“This last budget was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Becotte stated.
To convey again per-student funding to what it was a decade in the past, the province must spend no less than $400 million extra on public schooling every year, in keeping with Saskatchewan’s Teachers Federation.
Between 2021 and 2022, STF stated there was a drop of about 330 educators throughout the province, which Becotte stated got here from price range cuts.
“The Sask. Party claims that their plan is growth that works for everyone,” Henley stated. “The only growth that this budget brings is a growing privatization, growing number of children in classrooms and a growing cost of living.”
Global News reached out to the province this week for remark and acquired an announcement.
“In Saskatchewan, education is a shared responsibility. While government provides the funding to school divisions for the provision of programs, supports, and services, school divisions have the responsibility to make staffing and programming decisions within their allocated budget to meet local priorities and address the needs of their students and staff.”
The Ministry of Education stated it fingers out operational funding by the pre-kindergarten to Grade 12 funding distribution mannequin, and that funding for this faculty 12 months was allotted utilizing projected enrolments which are offered by faculty divisions.
“Once actual enrolments for the 2023-24 school year are known, updates can be made to ensure that funding is allocated where needs are highest. In this year’s budget, Saskatchewan’s 27 school divisions will receive an increase of $49.4 million or 2.5 per cent over the 2022-23 budget. The province is also providing $7 million in continued funding to school divisions to retain the more than 200 Educational Assistants that have been hired since September 2021.”
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