The head of the province's school boards association is asking parents to start speaking out if they are worried about local trustees losing their autonomy over decisions affecting classrooms.

Shawn Davidson, president of the Saskatchewan School Boards Association, held a news conference on Tuesday morning to ask the government to start working with boards to find solutions to budget cuts.

He said boards need clarity on what the government is telling them to do, after some conflicting messages recently.

Davidson also asked the government to rework the legislation that would give the Ministry of Education more power over decisions.

"The public spoke and they want local voice in education," Davidson said.

"They want folks like me, that are parents in the middle of nowhere so to speak, to have a voice in their kids education, and to elect someone like me to be that voice."

Davidson said if parents agree with that, they need to contact their local MLA before the proposed legislation becomes the law.

"We know that things are tough, that the economy has taken a turn for the worse," Davidson said.

"But we need to be able to work with them [the province] as partners in dealing with this, not being dictated to."