Intern teacher Jenica Whitrow worked with science teacher Trent Berling at the Weyburn Comp on Monday, as staff were busy getting everything ready for the new school year to start on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Trent teaches Chemistry 30, Biology 30 and Physical Science 30, and Jenica will teach these subjects along with him, as well as some other subjects with different teachers. (photo submitted by Karen Kennedy-Allin)
Teachers have been busy all this week getting lesson plans and classrooms ready for the start of school right after Labour Day, but unfortunately many of them are also using their own funds to provide for everything they need, said Karen Kennedy-Allin, the president of the Southeast Cornerstone Teachers Association.
She noted all of the teachers have been busy this week, but some came in on their own time last week to prepare their classrooms and lesson plans.
In addition to her duties as head of the teachers association, Kennedy-Allin is also now on the executive for the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation at the provincial level, and has been hearing a lot from teachers about how stressed-out some of them are over the lack of funds for basic materials needed in the classroom.
In a member survey of teachers across the province, only 5.3 per cent of teachers are not using their own money for supplies, with 42 per cent spending up to $250 to buy supplies, while another 25 per cent are spending between $251 and $500. About 7.6 per cent of teachers are spending over $1,000 of their own money to buy the supplies they need. These supplies include books and art supplies, and are items that used to be on home school supply lists but have been removed in recent years.
“This is because of budget cutbacks. I know our budgets have been clawed back,” said Kennedy Allin.
Broken down by grade levels, about half of high school teachers are spending up to $250, with another 21 per cent spending up to $500, while 43 per cent of middle years teachers and 37.5 per cent of elementary teachers are spending up to $250. Of those spending over $1,000, this includes 10 per cent of elementary teachers, 4.7 per cent of middle years teachers, 5.7 per cent of high school teachers, and 16.3 per cent of K-12 teachers.
“Teachers and parents are being asked to buy supplies that should be supplied by the government,” said Kennedy-Allin. “In Saskatchewan, it’s a very high priority that we have a quality public education that’s publicly-funded.”
She noted this is not the fault of the school board, as they “are doing the absolute best they can with what has been given them by the government.”
What is happening instead is teachers are paying out-of-pocket for materials, and parents and school-community councils are doing fundraising, when these materials should be paid for by the Ministry of Education, and in a sense, they are letting the government off the hook by picking up these expenses themselves.
“The fact is teachers are feeling stressed, sometimes because of the lack of resources, and they feel they’re unable to meet the needs of their students. Our school divisions are doing the best that they can. School-community councils have definitely taken a lot upon themselves,” said Kennedy-Allin, adding this is a symptom that funding has not been at a predictable or sustained level as it needs to be year-to-year.
