By Michael Oleksyn | Prince Albert Daily Herald
The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division is having success in their Human Resources (HR) as highlighted by a report to the board of education.
The division’s board had a look at staffing numbers in the yearly accountability report presented by Superintendents of Schools Corey Trann and Jeff Court at their regular meeting on Monday.
Director of Education Neil Finch said he is impressed with several areas of the report.
“The last piece on successes and just how professional our staff are and that they’re our employees, regardless of what their classifications are, they’re just there to do great things for kids,” Finch said. “That’s just a proud moment for our schools, when you know that the adults in the system are there to make sure students have success.”
The division is having strong recruitment as they work with multiple universities. This year the division has 36 interns.
They are had success in recruitment for French Immersion positions and in their Cree Language recruitment and other difficult positions and not lose them to other divisions.
The division has also increased the number of superintendents in charge of the human resources in the division. Previously Trann was the lone superintendent but Court came aboard as well on July 1. The two are split with Trann in charge of teachers and Court responsible for the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) pool.
During the 2024-2025 school year, there were more than 548 full-time equivalent teachers in the division with 32 principals and 22 vice principals. There were 19 female and 13 male principals and 16 female and seven male vice-principals.
There were over 28 full-time equivalent employees working out of the Education Centre.
The total budget for teachers and administration was $52.2 million. The largest percentage of money spent on salary goes to teachers at 84 percent of the total.
The division saw a modest turnover of 6.4 percent including early resignations and retirements.
“We do a good job of staying within budget. The HR Accountability report shows that close to 70 to 75 per cent of our budget is based on staff, and that’s a big deal,” Finch said.
The division was up four full-time equivalent teachers for the 2024-2025 school year through the budget allocation.
Saskatchewan Rivers also has a First and Second Year Program where newer teachers meet formally throughout the year. There are also formal classroom visits from the superintendent in charge. This year it has been assigned to new superintendent Jeff Court.
There is also an educational bursary offered to a maximum of $85,000 in the division. This year there were 29 applicants and they paid out a total of $32,506.
Teacher recruitment is ongoing and a year-long focus, but the main efforts come during recruitment fairs at the University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan in January and February. The division also attends other fairs if necessary.
The substitute list in the division is around 200 people made up mostly of current teachers but also includes 80 retired teachers. Over the past couple of years, the division has had difficulty to maintain an adequate substitute list and the Saskatchewan Professional Teachers Regulatory Board (SPTRB) has allowed them to add teachers who have completed internships but not their education degree. The report stated that this was a valuable asset.
In 2024-202 5 there were over 473 employees in the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) pool with EA (Educational Associates) making up the largest number with over 243. There are also 77 employees through separate funding arrangements, along with 27 Out-of-Scope personnel.
The total non-teacher employee salaries are $22.9 million. This includes accounting and payroll, computer technicians, bus drivers, caretakers, educational associates, language associates, library staff, maintenance staff, mechanics, mentors, KidsFirst project coordinators, social workers and secretaries.
The total staff in the divisions numbers 1,726 of staff shows that 75 percent and 24 percent male with all staff in all areas including teachers, CUPE and staff. The age categories show that there are 24 percent in the 40 to 49 category, 21 per cent in the 50 to 59 category and the 30 to 39 category, 15 percent in the 60 to 69 category, 14 percent in the 18 to 29 category and four percent in 70 to 79 age category.
The division currently has 190 educators in the First Nations-Métis-Indigenous category which is consistent with recent years.
The report’s recommendation was to maintain current direction, ensuring staff remains at the best level to serve students.
