The Saskatchewan School Boards Association says that class complexity shouldn’t be included in the teacher’s collective bargaining agreement.

President of the SSBA, Jaimie Smith-Windsor, seemed to have sided with the government over the recent negotiations over a teacher’s contract.

“Boards believe class complexity should be dealt with at a local level and not in a provincial CBA,” she said.

Friday morning, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation sent out a news release saying its bargaining committee declined an invitation to resume negotiations because the government-trustee bargaining committee was not given a new mandate to discuss specific issues like class size and complexity.

The SSBA explained their thoughts on how issues like class complexity and class size should be dealt with.

“Building on the Government’s recent funding commitment of $53.1 million, a dedicated fund for local boards will be established to address classroom complexity,” Smith-Windsor said. “Local committees representing local teachers’ associations, trustees, and senior administration will be established to identify and address priorities.”

She added that the framework for reporting will be developed by the Boards of Education, the Ministry of Education and the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, with a mandate to report at the local level and to aggregate at the provincial level as part of the Provincial Education Plan.

Smith-Windsor added that she believes this will meet students’ needs and address teachers’ concerns.