You can support education support workers in two important ways:
Send a letter to the Catholic School Board of Trustees urging them to come to the table ready to negotiate a fair deal. You can read more and send a letter here: cupe.ca/gscs
Join us for our upcoming Education Support Workers March and Community Rally on Saturday, March 28.
If you cannot join the march, we encourage you to meet us at the rally location and stand with education support workers.We invite you, your friends, your families, and your children to join us. Your presence and your voice matter.
Education support workers matter. Our schools cannot function without them.
“We have an interest in collecting information on CUPE education workers performing medical procedures or medical care in schools. Can you please forward the link below to your members and encourage them to provide feedback?
NOTE: The deadline for submission is February 11, 2026. All feedback is anonymous, members are not asked to provide any personal identifying information.”
“CUPE education support members from across Saskatchewan gathered at the legislature Tuesday for a press conference demanding action on chronic underfunding in the K-12 education system – a crisis impacting students and staff across the province.
“Chronic underfunding and education cuts, including the restructuring of Jordan’s Principle funding, have left schools struggling to provide basic supports,” said Karla Sastaunik, chair of the CUPE Saskatchewan Education Workers’ Steering Committee (EWSC). “We’re talking classrooms without enough staff, students missing resources, and school divisions forced to make impossible choices every day.”
At the end of September, the EWSC launched a public survey to understand the impact of underfunding. More than 750 people from 20 school divisions responded. The findings reveal a system in crisis:
• 98% reported their school division faced cuts in the past two years.
• 86% reported reductions in one-on-one support for students.
• 29% reported maintenance of school buildings was reduced or cut.
• Cuts also affected library services, speech-language pathology, and counselling.
“Education support workers are the backbone of inclusive education,” said Tanya Knutson, president of CUPE 4797. “Yet our roles are being eroded by cuts and chronic underfunding.”
Education support workers shared quotes from the survey to illustrate the impact:
• “Our school went from 7.5 EAs two years ago to 1 EA this year.”
• “Maintenance cuts mean buildings aren’t getting proper repairs—just temporary fixes as things break down.”
• “We are drowning in lack of support, making it hard to take breaks. We are all barely keeping our heads above water.”
“These stories are not isolated – they represent what is happening across Saskatchewan,” said Dene Nicholson, president of CUPE 8443. “When schools lose staff and resources, students go without support, and the entire learning environment suffers.”
CUPE and the Official Opposition are calling on the provincial government to significantly increase education funding and ensure adequate staffing levels to meet the needs of students and maintain safe, supportive learning environments. /cope342”
