Chinook School Division says it will cut 20 teaching positions due to shortfall in Sask. budget

A school division in southwestern Saskatchewan says shortfalls in the provincial budget mean it will have to cut 20 teaching positions.

The Chinook School Division informed staff members of its plan in a letter distributed internally on Wednesday, a copy of which has been obtained by CBC News. A separate letter to parents and students is set to be distributed Thursday. 

The division, which has schools in Swift Current and Maple Creek, says the budget did not provide enough funding to cover a projected increase of $1.5 million in salaries for teachers and education assistants, as well as other "inflationary costs."

"Chinook is not receiving adequate provincial funding to support our current staffing levels," the letter reads. 

"With limited options available to us reduce costs, we are left with no choice but to make reductions in staffing."

The reasons provided by the Chinook School District contradict comments made by Education Minister Dustin Duncan when the provincial budget was released. 

At the time he said he had no concerns with inflation, saying costs in the province's education sector "weren't really driven by inflation."

The education budget for the upcoming fiscal year is $3.8 billion, an increase of $47.2 million, or 1.3  per cent from the previous year.

"If you look at the fact that our major cost is our teacher salaries and that's fully funded at two per cent, so that really isn't affected by inflation. Some of our other cost drivers within the education sector aren't really driven by inflation," Duncan said. 

CBC has requested comment with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education to clarify the disconnect between the remarks from Duncan and the statements by the Chinook School District. 

The division said many of the cuts to 20 teaching positions will be achieved through attrition as well as a one-time retirement incentive offered to teaching staff. 

The budget shortfall also affects educational assistants who will have their work schedules reduced by 30 minutes a day for full time positions to "protect as many educational assistant positions as possible." 

The letter also references further impending cuts in various departments, including removal of an unspecified number of substitute teachers and a decrease in the number of buses being purchased. 

The goal is to offset its predicted total $5.1 million deficit going into the 2022-2023 school year.