1,483: Bringing the Cost of Education Underfunding Home
By: Lynn Redl, STF Communications
This fall, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation will launch 1,483, a public awareness and advocacy campaign focused on the impact of education underfunding on Saskatchewan students, classrooms and communities. Named for the dollar amount of funding lost per student over the past decade when adjusted for inflation, the campaign highlights a stark reality: every Saskatchewan student is receiving $1,483 less than they would if education funding had kept pace with inflation.
Through television, digital and social media advertising, the campaign will connect provincial funding decisions to their effects in classrooms across Saskatchewan. The campaign focuses on what students lose when resources fail to keep pace with rising costs, growing enrolment and increasing classroom complexity.
A key feature of the campaign is a new public website where parents, community members and public education supporters can see how their local school division has been affected by funding reductions. Visitors will be able to explore division-specific data and better understand the cumulative impact of underfunding on students and schools in their communities.
“The numbers tell an important story, but this campaign is really about students,” says STF President Samantha Becotte. “When education funding fails to keep pace with the realities facing schools, students lose opportunities and teachers have fewer resources to support learning.” The campaign also comes at an important time for Saskatchewan teachers. With provincial collective bargaining underway, 1,483 reinforces the importance of teachers, parents and community members working together to advocate for the supports students need.
“Advocacy is always important, but it is especially critical as we negotiate a new collective agreement,” says Becotte. “Teachers see every day how funding decisions affect students and classrooms. When funding fails to keep pace with growing enrolment and increasingly complex student needs, services and supports are stretched thin, leaving students without the resources they need to succeed. A reduction of $1,483 per student represents a significant loss of investment in public education and will have real consequences for students, families and schools across Saskatchewan.”
Advocacy will be centred on the STF’s Tell Them Tuesday initiative. Teachers and members of the public will be encouraged to visit the campaign website to access advocacy tools, share campaign materials on social media, contact elected officials and learn more about how funding changes have affected their local schools.
“Advocacy is most effective when people understand how an issue affects their own community,” says STF Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs Courtney Forseth. “Tell Them Tuesday gives people a simple way to get involved and help make public education a priority.”
Throughout the fall, members will be encouraged to participate in campaign activities and share the message that students deserve a well-funded public education system that meets their needs today and into the future.