“Devoted to bringing God’s children to know Jesus Christ’s love through Catholic Education.”
– The Saskatchewan Catholic School Boards Association Vision Statement
Saskatchewan is home to a lively, fully funded Catholic school system.
The Saskatchewan Catholic School Boards Association (SCSBA) plays a vital role in supporting Catholic school divisions across the province, ensuring an ongoing adherence to top quality academics and faith permeation in each Saskatchewan Catholic school.
Bursting with new ideas and initiatives, the SCSBA is committed to strengthening connections with Catholic organizations across the province, prioritizing Indigenous learning and maintaining opportunities for faith development at every level of their Catholic school system.
We’re continually inspired by the SCSBA’s initiative to share good news from each Catholic school division on their website. We encourage you to enjoy the beautiful stories coming out of Saskatchewan Catholic Schools. SCSBA Good News Stories
A look at the numbers in Saskatchewan:
Schools : 136
Students: 47, 806 currently enrolled, excluding Pre-K
Staff: Approximately 5700
A brief history…
Saskatchewan Catholic trustees were originally members of the Saskatchewan School Trustees’ Association (SSTA) when it formed in 1915. By 1920, during a period of growing anti-Catholic sentiment among provincial public trustees, Catholic trustees left the SSTA and formed the Catholic School Trustees’ Association of Saskatchewan (CSTAS).
Just over 30 years later, in 1951, Saskatchewan Catholic trustees rejoined the SSTA as an official section with a guaranteed seat on the SSTA Executive and the ability to speak to the government on issues exclusively concerning Catholic schools.
After a governance review in 1989, all sections were eliminated from the SSTA except for the Catholic section. The SSTA, now known as the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA), remains to this day.
Saskatchewan Catholic School Boards incorporated themselves into a non-profit corporation called the Saskatchewan Catholic School Boards Association (SCSBA) in 2006.
There are currently eight Catholic school divisions in the province of Saskatchewan.
Funding Structure
Fully Funded
Protecting the Catholic Identity of Schools
The SCSBA supports its constituent Catholic school divisions through intentional meetings and ongoing sharing of best practices for maintaining the Catholic identity of schools. Throughout the province, Catholic school divisions share speakers and faith development activities and each division is equipped with a faith integration team and faith permeation plans for each individual school.
Schools regularly celebrate liturgies of the word and prayer services and a special emphasis is made to ensure liturgies are celebrated during Advent, Lent, on patron feast days, Thanksgiving and World Catholic Education Day.
The SCSBA’s annual Catholic education week offers students, staff and families many opportunities to celebrate their Catholic faith and deepen their understanding of what it means to be Catholic.
Catholic faith formation is provided regularly to all Catholic school teachers, while trustees and senior staff are offered faith development opportunities at the annual SCSBA AGM & Convention.
Diocesan Involvement
Each Catholic school in Saskatchewan is connected with a local parish and clergy are invited to participate in the life of the school wherever possible.
The SCSBA maintains an excellent relationship with the Bishops of Saskatchewan. In addition to meeting annually, the SCSBA consults Saskatchewan bishops regularly on matters related to Catholic education in the province.
Recently, the SCSBA worked with Saskatchewan bishops on the development of a Pastoral Guide to support students in their development and understanding of their sexuality. Upon completion of the document, the SCSBA provided sponsorship for clergy to receive professional development on the Pastoral Guide in the Archdiocese of Regina, the Diocese of Saskatoon and the Diocese of Prince Albert.
The SCSBA also worked with Catholic bishops on an Indigenous Teachings Handbook. Created in 2024, the handbook is a responsibility framework for use in Catholic schools in Saskatchewan.
Goals of the Association
- Professional Development on new Pastoral Guide
The SCSBA is aiming to provide professional development training for teachers and staff on the new Pastoral Guide created in consultation with bishops.
- Indigenous Leadership Team Support
The SCSBA will continue journeying with local Indigenous communities and offer support to the Indigenous Leadership Team, made up of Indigenous education representatives from each Catholic school division.
- Orientation for New Trustees
Elections were held in November 2024 and orientation for new Catholic trustees will be provided by the SCSBA.
- Provincial Connections
Efforts are underway to promote the revival of REAL – a local gathering of religious education administrators. Conversations about hosting a Saskatchewan Congress are ongoing. The Congress would be a meeting point for Catholic institutions across the province and the first of its kind in Saskatchewan.
- Faith Development
Ongoing faith development opportunities for teachers and staff remains a priority for the SCSBA.
Challenges faced by Catholic schools in Saskatchewan
Like many Catholic schools across Canada, Saskatchewan Catholic schools are faced with an ongoing struggle with limiting government guidelines surrounding sexual education.
Catholic school staff and teachers in Saskatchewan were excepted from a ministerial directive prohibiting third party providers of sexual education, however, the exception didn’t extend to the third party programs (e.g. TeenAid) being used in Catholic schools. Advocacy in this area is ongoing.
Catholic schools are navigating additional challenges when it comes to the new government requirement that all school divisions develop a change room policy by June 30, 2025. Ongoing challenges are faced with the government’s Inclusion and Consent Policy, as well as difficult teacher negotiations.
Catholic Education Week
The SCSBA hosts their annual Catholic education week in May.
Thank you to SCSBA for partnering with us by providing information for this article! Learn more about the Saskatchewan Catholic School Boards Association here:
