The Alberta Teachers’ Association

The following are excerpts from newspapers throughout Alberta. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the ATA.

Poor judgement affects boards and students

“In 2007, Ed Stelmach, the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the Alberta School Boards Association signed what was supposed to be a historic five-year agreement, guaranteeing labour peace in Alberta schools. … However, Education Minister David Hancock says he just can’t come up with that cash, not when his own budget didn’t increase. There will, he says, be no money from his department to pay the 2.92 per cent [salary increase for the 2009/10 school year]. … As a result, Hancock is asking local school boards to make up the difference from existing budgets and contingency funds. At the same time, he’s directing boards not to cut teaching positions. … But a deal’s a deal and the province is dodging its responsibility to keep up its end of the bargain. Instead, it’s asking local school boards—and their students—to absorb the cost of the government’s poor judgment. Hancock insists the Tories aren’t walking away from their agreement. His government just needs more time, he says. He’s asking the ATA and the ASBA to consider extending the contract agreement by another two to three years, so that everyone can get paid what they’re owed over time.”
—Paula Simons, Edmonton Journal, May 27, 2010

Potential teacher reductions tough to take

“The choices GHSD [Golden Hills School Division] was faced with this year were once again very difficult to make. The decision to possibly reduce the teaching staff at an elementary school isn’t easy, it means students may be in a class with children up to three years older than them, which isn’t ideal. … So then who will educate the children? I believe that regardless of how many grades are in a classroom, every teacher is faced with multiple learning styles, experiences, and challenges on a daily basis. They are professionals, and they pull through every day. Teachers educate children, and they will continue to do so no matter what is thrown at them, and I can only be grateful for their dedication to that cause.”
—Editorial, Strathmore Standard, May 5, 2010

Informed public a silver lining in school fate debate

“So, the first chapter in the debate around the future of W.R. Frose School has ended. … We would have liked to see W.R. Frose School keep its Grade 9 for one more year; it didn’t seem like much of a request. It’s understandable if some people felt betrayed or that the trustees paid more attention to the superintendent’s position, though whether or not that’s truly the case is only a question the board can answer. ... Of course, the story doesn’t end here, not by a long shot. Some dark times lie ahead, if the future enrolment projections are any indication, and there’s a lot of discussion to be held. A meeting around the future of W.R. Frose School—and indeed the northern schools within Pembina Hills—now needs to happen. And if there’s one good thing to take from all of this it’s that the people of Fawcett are well prepared to talk about this problem. Prior to Supt. Richard Harvey’s first meeting with Fawcett parents, it’s likely that only a few people were aware of how schools are funded and the requirements that a division must meet to close a school. But the folks of Fawcett are better equipped now to handle it.”
—Editorial, Westlock News, May 3, 2010