CUPE members of Saskatoon education locals stood alongside Matt Love, Saskatchewan NDP shadow minister for education, and Joan Pratchler, Saskatchewan NDP associate shadow minister for education, at a press conference yesterday calling on the Sask. Party government to restore Jordan’s Principle funding.
“It’s heartbreaking to see education assistants losing their jobs because of the funding cuts to Jordan’s Principle, while Indigenous students struggle without the support they need,” said Shandel McLeod, vice-chair of the CUPE Saskatchewan Education Workers’ Steering Committee. “The Sask. Party government needs to step up and backfill this funding so students get the care they deserve, and EAs can continue supporting them.”
McLeod emphasized the lasting impact these cuts will have on students and classrooms across the province. “Education assistants build strong relationships and trust with students,” she added. “When supports are taken away, the damage ripples beyond the students directly funded through Jordan’s Principle; entire classrooms are affected.”
For education assistants like Brody Hudson, whose position was supported by Jordan’s Principle funding, the cuts have created fear and anxiety. “The first day of school is almost here,” said Hudson. “Students need us in their classrooms, but none of us knows what will happen next.”
CUPE is urging the provincial government to take immediate action to protect students, education workers, and the future of public education by backfilling Jordan’s Principle funding cuts.