Describing it as a step in the right direction, Kim Stranden, Board Chair for the Saskatoon Public Schools Board of Education, says the funding provided to the school division for the upcoming school year allowed them to invest in 41 additional teachers, 65 additional education assistants, 55 new intervention teachers and eight additional specialized classrooms.

That will bring the total of specialized classrooms to nine which helps students with things like disabilities, language barriers and behavioural challenges.

The school board says the provincial budget increased Saskatoon Public Schools’ operating funding by 9.6 per cent or $27.1 million, with an operating grant of $308.4 million1 compared to $281.3 million in 2024-25. The projected enrolment for September 2025 is 29,554 students. Student enrolment as of September 2024 was 28,878.  The Board says enrolment has increased significantly due primarily to newcomers to Canada.

Saskatoon Public Schools also says in previous years there was federal funding for Jordan’s Principle which funded education assistants for First Nations.  Provincial school divisions are no longer eligible to receive the grants consequently there is nothing included in the 2025-26 budget.

In a news release the Board of Education stated, “It is critical that future funding continues to reflect inflation, enrolment growth and student need to avoid future reductions in services or increased fees for families.”