The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Five points on superintendent salaries
A recent report from the Alberta School Boards Association revealed that superintendents have experienced a 10 per cent average salary increase between 2015 and 2017. Predictably, the media showed considerable interest in this figure, as did I. I did numerous interviews on the topic and here are my five talking points on the matter.

1. Teachers are predictably upset by this news. In the past six years, our salary increases featured FIVE ZEROES.
2. The government asked teachers to do their part, and they did. It’s quite disheartening to hear that superintendents didn’t get that memo.
3. Double-digit increases for superintendents, while teachers were taking zeroes, are simply unfair.
4. The government has squeezed all workers paid by public funds — with the exception of superintendents. Executives on other public boards have had legislated salary freezes, and I don’t understand why school board executives have been treated differently.
5. Class sizes are too large, and students with special needs are undersupported in the classroom. School boards need to make better choices with the funding they are given. ❚

I welcome your comments — contact me at greg.jeffery@ata.ab.ca.