Sask. premier alludes to extending school year as teachers prepare to vote on contract offer

As teachers in Saskatchewan prepare to vote on a contract put forward by provincial negotiators, Premier Scott Moe has alluded to potentially extending the school year if they reject the offer.

Moe made the comments to media after an event held by the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce Monday.

"It would be unfortunate if through various job action that has occurred, or may be yet to occur, that school divisions would have to make difficult choices about extending the school year by a number of days or weeks, to ensure that our students do receive the instructional hours that they have a right to," said Moe.

It's the latest in a series of jabs that seem to show tensions between the provincial government and the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) remains high.

Charles Smith, an associate professor of political studies at the University of Saskatchewan, said Moe didn't do a great of selling the contract to the STF or to the public.  

"If he was proud of this agreement, if there was an endorsement from the union or from teachers themselves, I think we would hear different language," Smith said in an interview Tuesday.

The province's 13,500 teachers have been without a contract since August 2023 and voted heavily in favour of sanctions in October.

Job action began in mid-January with one-day provincewide strikes. That was followed by a series of rotating strikes, withdrawals of voluntary duties and work-to-rule action. 

Starting on Wednesday at 8 a.m. CST, teachers will vote on a contract offer for the first time since the STF began job action.

The proposed three-year contract includes three per cent salary increases in the first and second years, with the first increase retroactive to September 2023, and a two per cent increase in the third year.

The contract proposal also includes an article stating that an accountability framework — laid out as part of a memorandum of understanding to ensure provincial funding doled out to the Saskatchewan School Boards Association would benefit students — would be followed and honoured.

STF president Samantha Becotte has repeatedly insisted that the issues of classroom complexity and class size should be party of the collective agreement. 

Becotte was not available for an interview on Tuesday, but has previously said she would remain neutral on the proposal, instead focusing on providing teachers with information about the benefits and the consequences before letting the membership decide. 

Smith said it seems fair to say the STF is not thrilled with the proposal on the table. Although he has no knowledge of the STF's internal negotiation, he said leadership's decision to bring the offer to the membership is a sign the STF believes its ability to negotiate with the province's bargaining team is at an end.