SASKATOON — The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation has once again raised the issue of a shortage of specialist teachers to help address the province's growing, complex student needs, noting that the departure of support professionals has left students struggling more in classrooms, with staff already stretched thin.
STFF president Samantha Becotte, in a virtual media availability on Tuesday, March 31, said the decline in access to specialized supports has been ongoing for more than a decade, and the consequences are now being felt across the province's school divisions. Based on STF’s recent data, the number of certified specialist teachers, such as resource teachers and counsellors, declined from 112 in the school year 2022-23 to 95 in 2023-24.
As a result of its 2023-2026 provincial collective bargaining agreement, the STF introduced class complexity for teachers last fall. This position will help manage students’ needs, as the role involves specialized educators who support individuals with behavioural, mental health and academic issues, providing one-on-one sessions to improve their learning.
“I don’t have specific data for this school year, but we have been tracking the trends of it and all of those specialized positions, whether it's educational psychologists, speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, those rates have been, or the access to those folks has been declining over the last 10 to 12 years,” said Becotte.
“I know for sure they have all been declining, which leads to students having less access over the last few years. We've also been talking about increasing the rate of wait times for students to access that support. So not only are we seeing an increase in the student-to-professional ratio, but also a decline in the number of those professionals available within schools.”
She added that there has been a growing demand for professionals certified to assist students’ needs while they are in school, as those needs are becoming more complex within the school system. Classrooms are seeing higher demands for mental health supports, learning assessments and individualized programming — needs that require trained specialists who are increasingly scarce.
The federation links the shortage directly to what it calls chronic underfunding of public education. While the provincial government has cited a 2.57 per cent increase in education funding, the STF argues that inflation and rising enrolment effectively turn that increase into a cut, amounting to about $33 less per student than the previous year.
Those financial pressures are forcing school divisions into difficult decisions. Becotte said divisions are put in a difficult position, most of the time making the hard decisions about which services to provide and where to allocate limited resources, often resulting in fewer supports, larger class sizes, or cuts to programming such as arts and music.
The reduction in specialized services is particularly concerning as Saskatchewan faces what educators describe as a youth mental health crisis, with social media and broader societal pressures adding to the issue. The STF said it is willing to collaborate more closely with the government to better support students both in schools and in their communities.
The federation is now urging parents, educators and community members to speak out. Through its “Tell Them Tuesday” campaign, the STF is calling on residents to contact their MLAs and push for stronger investment in public education, with Becotte emphasizing that students deserve funding that keeps pace with inflation, enrolment and their needs.
“Underfunding public schools puts it all at risk, and we can’t afford to jeopardize our kids’ future. I know we all care about public education, whether you're out there as a teacher, a parent, or even as concerned community members and business leaders. We need to invest in our province's youth and ensure they have a well-rounded, well-supported public education. Education works to ensure the success of Saskatchewan into the future,” said Becotte.
