Sask. not committed to fully funding teachers' CBA

The Saskatchewan government will not commit to fully funding a contract with the province's teachers, Education Minister Gordon Wyant said on Thursday.

A new collective bargaining agreement, currently in arbitration, wasn't included as a line item in the April provincial budget. The government did not want to contribute to any expectations as to what a contract might look like, Wyant said. 

"Any additions to the budget are going to have to be considered after the budget has passed," he said, adding the province would negotiate in good faith when the time comes. 

NDP education critic Carla Beck said the government's non-committal comes as a surprise. She said that schools in the province are getting less money while more students are being enrolled. 

Education funding reinstated by Premier Scott Moe, $7.5 million in February and up to $30 million in total, isn't enough to keep up with funding cuts, Beck said.

During the March 2017 provincial budget, the province cut $22 million worth of K-12 funding.

Because school boards and the province had different fiscal years — the province's fiscal year ended March 31 while the school boards finish theirs December 31 — school boards said they were actually facing a funding shortfall of $54 million. 

"It's like someone taking $50 out of your pocket and giving you $25 back," Beck said. 

During the most recent provincial budget, the province earmarked more than $1.8 billion for K-12.