Sask. Teachers' Federation concerned education property tax will flow into province's general revenue fund

The president of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation believes it's inaccurate to use the term "education property tax."

The model of education property tax distribution was changed with the2017-18 provincial budget.

Money collected by municipalities will now go into theprovince's general revenue fund account, then bedistributed to school divisions. Previously, municipalities would collect and direct the funds straight to the school divisions.

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"When they collect money and put it into the general revenue fund, then the concerns are that it's not being directed back to education," STF president Patrick Maze said.

"It's an education property tax.It should go directly from the municipalities to the school divisions that they're intended to support."

Government says only difference is the account

The provincial government remains firm that education property tax will be directed towards education, despite the new model.

"The 'education property tax' clearly identifies that the tax is to support education, and taxpayers are accustomed to having that differentiated from other taxes," a government spokesperson said in anemail.

It's all going to affect the students.- Patrick Maze, Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation

"Dollars collected through education property tax are invested directly in education.The GRF [general revenue fund] ismerelythe account which they flow through."

That tax is estimated to bring in $747 million this fiscal year, the email said.

The spokesperson said the government plans to betransparent about where the money is going by showingeducation property tax revenues as a separate line in provincial financial statements.

Furthermore, the spokesperson said the adoption of the new model came at the request of school divisions that wanted to "be out of the property tax business."

The government said consultations took place with municipal and education stakeholders, who shared their "support" of Bill 48which will enact the tax model change come Jan. 1, 2018.

'It will hurt the students'

But Maze points out that despite the education property tax increasing, education funding decreased this fiscal year.

The provincial budget determined the pre-kindergarten-to-Grade-12 school system will receive $1.86 billion in school operating money in 2017-18, which is $22 million less than the previous fiscal year.

"We're seeing a loss of Aboriginal support workers," Maze said."We're seeing a lossof learning coaches, losses across the sector learning assistants, teachers and teacher assistants and it's all going to affect the students."

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Maze said staff in the education sector will be busy at the bargaining table, trying to address the call of a 3.5 per cent wage reduction while negotiating expiring contracts.

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"At a time when enrolment is increasing, we're looking at a reduction in education, and that's unfortunate and it will hurt students," he said.