Sask. announces 'specialized support' classrooms for disruptive students, critics question scope
Pilot program to run in 8 urban school divisions
Saskatchewan has announced a pilot program meant to manage and de-escalate behavioural incidents in schools, but some details are unclear, and teachers and the Opposition NDP say the plan doesn't range far enough.
The $3.6-million pilot will bring a single new "specialized support" classrooms to each of eight urban school divisions from February of this year until the end of the 2024-25 school year, according to a news release Monday from the provincial government.
Each classroom will have capacity for 15 students and will be staffed by a minimum of one teacher and two educational assistants. They'll also be able to use other support systems, such as psychologists and counsellors, as needed, according to the province.
The Ministry of Education has said school divisions will determine the criteria used to select students, but confirmed students will not be moved from their existing school to another school to be integrated into the specialized support classrooms.
"We have heard from Saskatchewan teachers that they need to spend more of their time teaching rather than managing disruptive behaviour," said Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill in the release.
Cockrill said the pilot will allow students to continue their studies uninterrupted, but also assist those who need short-term targeted interventions.
Samantha Becotte, president of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF), described the pilot program as an "interesting start" to addressing the issue of class complexity.
"It is a clear admission of government that they agree class complexity is increasing and needs to be addressed and that additional funds are needed to be able to provide students the supports that they deserve and have a right to," Becotte said during a news conference Monday.
Becotte criticized the limited nature of the pilot. She said eight urban schools would only cover about one per cent of the province's student population and that class complexity is not only experienced in urban areas.
The $3.6-million budget also shows an inability to understand the issues in the province's schools, Becotte said.
"When you think of eight schools, that's actually a pretty significant amount of of funding for those individual eight schools over an 18-month project," she said.
"But at the same time, just a month ago, this government spent approximately 1/4 of that amount on a two-week event in Dubai. It is clear that students are not where they should be on the government's list of priorities."
No one from the Ministry of Education was made available to answer questions on camera or by phone Monday.
In statement, the ministry said it will assess the "effectiveness of the various approaches throughout all participating divisions. By undertaking this pilot, the province will gain better insight into the types of interventions that are the most meaningful in terms of supporting teachers and students."
Saskatchewan NDP education critic Matt Love said the pilot does very little to address the issues raised by teachers.
"This plan does not appear to be well thought out. It it plans to be reactionary at a time when teachers are raising those concerns about the complexities that they experience in the classroom," he said.
"So if this is the plan from the government, I would say it falls well short."
The province confirmed the pilot will be deployed in:
- Living Sky School Division and Light of Christ Catholic Schools in North Battleford.
- Prince Albert Catholic School Division and Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division in Prince Albert.
- Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools and Saskatoon Public Schools.
- Regina Catholic Schools and Regina Public Schools.
The Ministry of Education said each school division will choose which specific schools and which grades will participate in the pilot.
Light of Christ Catholic Schools has confirmed that they've chosen St. Mary as the location.
Conciliation ends without deal
The pilot program's announcement comes after the STF and the province's conciliation efforts on a new contract have ended.
The conciliation board concluded that bargaining on a new provincial collective agreement remains at an impasse.
Teachers in the province have been operating without a contract since August. In October, teachers overwhelmingly voted in favour of possible sanctions, though none have been imposed.
Becotte said the conciliation report can serve as a starting point for further negotiations and stressed that teachers do not want to take job action, even though it remains an option.
"We can't just go back to the table and continue to hear "no and no and no," or not have a mandate to actually engage in real negotiations," she said.
In response, the government released a statement saying they remain committed to working on issues like classroom composition outside of the bargaining process.
"We continue to call on the STF to return to the bargaining table so that negotiations can continue where we can reach a fair deal with teachers while keeping students in the classroom," the statement read.
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