SASKATOON — The Saskatoon Board of Education approved its annual operating and capital budget for the 2025-2026 school year after its meeting on June 3 at the W.B. Doyle Board Room at the Saskatoon Public School office in downtown.
Board Chair and Ward 4 Trustee Kim Stranden said the budget is a step in the right direction, as it includes hiring additional teaching personnel and building schools to support the city’s growing student population.
“The funding allocated to our school division in 2025-26 has allowed for significant investments in student supports, including teaching professionals, educational assistants, special education programs, professional development and other operating costs,” said Stranden.
“We’re pleased that the 2025 provincial budget provided adequate funds to cover inflationary increases, enrolment growth, and to partially address increasing student need. Not receiving adequate funding in previous years has led to larger class sizes.”
Funding issues also led to a decrease in the ability to meet growing student needs, an increase in fees for families, and a reduction in investment in school buildings. However, Stranden is hopeful this year’s budget will set the school division on a new and better path.
Notable lines in the operating budget include the hiring of additional teaching staff, comprising 41 teachers to match student population growth, 65 educational assistants for students who require extra attention, and 55 intervention teachers for targeted support for students.
The budget will also fund eight specialized classrooms, bringing the total to nine, addressing the needs of students who require diverse learning accommodations, such as those with disabilities, language barriers, and behavioural challenges.
It would also expand the new School Connections Program, which is designed to support students who are temporarily unable to participate in a traditional school setting due to safety concerns.
The capital budget lines include preplanning funds for new elementary schools in Aspen Ridge and Kensington, as well as funding support for the construction of a new elementary school in Brighton and a new high school in Holmwood.
A new city centre school will also be built to serve the communities of King George, Pleasant Hill and Riversdale.
According to the standard process, the division administration prepared the 2025-26 annual operating and capital budget estimates and presented them to the board for approval. This budget will now be submitted to the Ministry of Education.
