The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Highlights of the Provincial Executive Council meeting held April 9–10, 2018, at Barnett House in Edmonton

1. Nominated a candidate for the position of Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) candidate for election to the Education International (EI) Executive Board. The election for CTF candidate to the EI Executive Board will take place at the 2018 CTF annual general meeting in July 2018.
2. Approved to support Aurora
   Academic Public Charter School in its application to be a participating employer in the Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan.
3. Approved the names of 15 teachers for addition to the Retirement Consultants’ name bank.
4. Amended Administrative Guidelines pertaining to expense claim policies and guidelines for staff and members of Council.
5. Reduced the 2018/19 proposed budget by $160,000, based on the budget survey results received from locals.
6. Amended and approved the proposed List of Central and Local Matters as the Association’s initial proposal for list bargaining.
7. Received the report of a hearing committee, which found a teacher guilty of five charges of unprofessional conduct for engaging in a social relationship outside of school with a student, which was inappropriate to an acceptable teacher–student relationship; engaged in regular text messaging and telephone calls with a student and transported the student, all of which were inappropriate to an acceptable teacher–student relationship; engaged in sexual contact with a student; smoked marijuana in the company of a student; and allowed students to use illegal drugs in the teacher’s presence. The hearing committee imposed the following penalties: for charge one, a recommendation to the minister of education for cancellation of the teacher’s teaching certificate, a declaration of ineligibility for membership in the Association and a fine of $3,000; for charge two, a recommendation to the minister of education for cancellation of the teacher’s teaching certificate, a declaration of ineligibility for membership in the Association and a fine of $1,500; for charge three, a recommendation to the minister of education for
   cancellation of the teacher’s teaching certificate, a declaration of ineligibility for membership in the Association and a fine of $10,000; for charge four, a recommendation to the minister of education for cancellation of the teacher’s teaching certificate, a declaration of ineligibility for membership in the Association and a fine of $3,000; and for charge five, a recommendation to the minister of education for cancellation of the teacher’s teaching certificate, a declaration of ineligibility for membership in the Association and a fine of $5,000.
8. Awarded the Alberta Teachers’ Association Doctoral Fellowship in Education and the Nadene M Thomas Graduate Research Bursary.
9. Moved the issue of intellectual property to the issues bank for preliminary investigation.
10. Approved amendments to the Council member and field member committee appointment process.
11. Appointed additional members to the Political Engagement Committee, named an Association representative to the Alberta Education Advisory Committee for Building an Inclusive Education System, and appointed members to the Smaller Schools and Assignable Time Review Committee and the Time Off for Compression Trial Program Review Committee. ❚