Teachers to withdraw extracurricular support from Monday to Thursday: STF

Teachers across Saskatchewan will withdraw support for extracurricular activities from Monday through Thursday, as the dispute between the provincial government and teachers’ union continues.

The latest sanctions from the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation were announced on Friday, following similar measures that threw a wrench into plans for Hoopla, the provincial high school basketball championships, along with a number of other events.

On Monday, teachers in certain school divisions also are to withdraw from voluntary noon-hour supervision, leaving divisions to make alternate supervision arrangements.

That will apply at all schools in the Holy Family Catholic, Holy Trinity Catholic, North East, Prairie Spirit, Saskatchewan Rivers, Prince Albert Catholic, Living Sky and Light of Christ school divisions, along with Sakewew High School in North Battleford.

The main sticking points in the deadlocked negotiations have been class size and classroom complexity – the number of students who need additional help – along with salary concerns.

Despite Wednesday’s provincial budget earmarking $356.6 million for extra support in classrooms and setting money aside for the construction of nine new schools, the union has insisted that measures to address class size and classroom complexity be written into the teachers’ new collective agreement.

“For weeks we have made it clear that job action would escalate if government continued its refusal to negotiate or agree to binding arbitration on class size and complexity – the issue that is most important to teachers,” Samantha Becotte, the federation’s president, said in a statement.

“The withdrawal of extracurricular activities during the four days leading up to spring break demonstrates that teachers remain steadfast in their call for sustainable funding for prekindergarten to Grade 12 education.”

Students and parents protested this week at the federation’s Saskatoon offices after the sanctions kiboshed the majority of the Hoopla tournament, reducing the three-day event to just one day of games. Becotte said she knows how important extracurriculars are for both students and teachers, but said the government has left her no other option.

Students demonstrate outside the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation’s Saskatoon office, protesting sanctions which affected the Hoopla basketball tournament this week. (Shane Clausing/650 CKOM)

“Teachers do not want to see the cancellation of events and experiences that are meaningful to students,” Becotte said.

“Government’s unwillingness to compromise leaves us no other options when it comes to negotiating a contract that provides predictable, ongoing supports for students and schools, and recognizes the important role played by teachers.”

Becotte reiterated the federation’s offer to suspend sanctions if the government agrees to binding arbitration on the issues of class size and complexity, but the government has previously refused that offer, saying those issues are best managed by locally elected school boards.

On Thursday, Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill told The Evan Bray Show that the government planned to invite the union to resume negotiations on Friday.

“We have made significant movement on several items: The significant increase to operating funding and then also the predictability going out for several years in classroom supports. I think you’ve seen government make significant moves towards getting a deal done,” Cockrill said.

“It’s time for the teachers’ union leadership to recognize that and come back to the table because I think there are far more items we agree on than we disagree on.”