NDP demands Sask government increase education spending by $50 million.
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153.65594
Summary
School divisions across the province are making deep cuts as they finalize their budgets for the coming school year because of inflationary pressures and an uncertain financial future. Education critic Matt Love has demanded the Saskatchewan government provide $50 million in emergency funding to cover the current shortfalls and to fund additional inflation costs for the next school year.
Transcript
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NDP official education critic and teacher Matt Love demanded the Saskatchewan government provide
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$50 million in emergency funding to cover the current shortfalls and to fund additional
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inflation costs for the next school year. School divisions are making deep cuts as they finalize
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their 2022-2023 budgets across the province because of inflationary pressures and an uncertain
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financial future. Love said that schools are facing massive increases to operating costs
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given the 31-year high inflation. Teachers and administrators are unequivocal. They desperately
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need funding that actually keeps pace with the soaring cost of gas, heating, and other expenses.
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If the government doesn't step up, our kids will pay the price. Now Saskatchewan's Minister of Education
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Dustin Duncan said Tuesday he would monitor inflation's impacts on school boards and families
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before making a decision on whether to provide additional support. Now Love said this response
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from the government is not enough. That's not good enough. The numbers are coming in and we know that
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without an urgent funding package there will be huge cuts to jobs and support services. With budgets
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being finalized by the end of June, the time to act is now. School divisions may not run deficits and that
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forces the school divisions to cut teaching and other positions as well as add in lunchtime
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supervision fees. There are close to 100 job cuts announced including 41 in the Saskatoon public and
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Saskatoon Catholic schools alone. Love said despite the minister's claim that the things that are
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affected by inflation are relatively minor, the province's fourth largest divisions paid a whopping
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30 million dollars for transportation last year. An expense that's only set to grow as the Saskatchewan
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Party government refuses to provide any relief at the pump.