Next week, Saskatchewan teachers will vote on the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation Executives’ mandate to see sanctions implemented beyond the current school year.

Currently, the existing mandate expires on June 30. That mandate was voted on in October 2023 and saw 95 per cent of teachers vote in favour of job sanctions.

STF President Samantha Becotte said that after a year of strained negotiations, the STF must prepare for the possibility that the government’s intransigence could continue into the next school year now that teachers have decisively rejected its final offer. 

“For reasons that are beyond understanding, the Government of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association seem committed to dragging this process out as long as they can, leaving students, teachers, families and the education sector in limbo,” Becotte said. “Teachers want to teach, not strike. We want to be in classrooms, not picket lines. We want to focus on the success of our students, not fight tooth and nail for the bare minimum needed to do our jobs. But this is about more than what we want. This is about what’s right for Saskatchewan’s students, the sustainability of our profession and the future of publicly funded schools.” 

The mandate resulting from the upcoming sanctions vote will be in effect until an agreement is reached. 

The results of this sanctions vote will be shared with STF members and the public once voting closes on May 16.