Article content continued

Representatives of the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Faculty Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last April, Sask. Polytechnic laid off 23 people in response to a five per cent reduction to its operating grant handed down in the provincial government’s 2017-18 budget, which aimed to halve a $1.2 billion deficit. Another 43 took buyouts.

Neufeld said the most recent round of layoffs and buyouts is “not directly linked” to the 2018-19 budget, which was delivered this month and aims to shave $230 million from a $595 million deficit.

According to an internal briefing note obtained by the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Sask. Polytechnic was bracing for a “worst case” scenario involving a two per cent cut to its $115 million operating grant, on top of the reduction handed down last year.

That did not come to pass, however. The Saskatchewan Party government instead opted for a zero per cent increase, keeping the technical school’s provincial grant — almost 70 per cent of its operating revenue — at 2017-18 levels.

In a letter to Sask. Polytechnic’s board chair, Advanced Education Minister Tina Beaudry-Mellor and Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison asked for an institutional budget with “neutral to positive” impact on government coffers.

“In 2018-19, we ask you to continue to … increase efficiency and reduce costs in your institution while maintaining high-quality programs and services for students,” the ministers said in the letter.

“We’re very cognizant of the fiscal situation of the province and we’re very appreciative for the zero per cent, for the stable funding, that allows us to continue and maintain operations,” Neufeld said.

“I would absolutely call that (a) best-case scenario.”

amacpherson@postmedia.com

twitter.com/macphersona