For parents, the “Back to School” season is a mixed blessing, as they’re glad for when their children can be back in the classroom, but on the other hand, they dread the long lists of school supplies they have to buy.
In the last couple of years, schools have reduced those lists in a bid to make it a bit easier on parents, but this has left a shortfall in supplies — so guess who has been stepping up to buy supplies for their classrooms? The teachers have been, using money from their own pockets which they will not be reimbursed for.
In a survey by the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation (STF), only about five per cent of teachers do not use their own money to buy supplies, while 42 per cent of teachers spend up to $250 to buy things like art supplies and books, and 25 per cent are spending between $250 and $500 on supplies. Most shocking is that 7.6 per cent of teachers are spending over $1,000 for supplies they deem necessary for their students.
The president of the Southeast Cornerstone Teachers Association, Karen Kennedy-Allin, is laying the blame for this at the doorstep of the provincial government, and says the school divisions are not at fault, as they are doing the best they can with the funds they are given.
Since the province took away the ability of school boards to set the levy for property taxes, school divisions no longer have any ability to go to the local taxpayer for funding for their local schools. They are forced to budget within the funding levels set by the province — so yes, it really is the province’s fault that teachers have to resort to buying school supplies out of their pockets.
They should not have to do that, but teachers want to be able to provide the best education they can for their students, and if they feel they are lacking in the supplies needed for this, they are taking out their wallets or purses and going to the stores to buy those supplies rather than asking school-community councils or parents to pay more.
The SCCs are already doing fundraising in schools to help support the need for equipment or programs, and parents do what they can with the supply lists they’re given.
It is true there is only one taxpayer, so there is a conundrum in asking the government to pay more for things, because their funds come from that taxpayer — but it comes down to setting priorities and taxing at an appropriate level. Education is an investment in our future, in developing our future leaders and future parents and business owners, so investing in them is definitely worth it.
