The Alberta Teachers’ Association

On Dec. 3, the Alberta Teachers’ Association opened nominations for the 18 elected positions on its Provincial Executive Council (PEC). With that, the 2019 PEC election has officially begun!

What positions are open?

• ATA president (one to be elected)
• ATA vice-president (two to be elected)
• District representative (15 to be elected)

Who is eligible to run?

To be eligible to run in the 2019 PEC election you must not be in receipt of an Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund pension and you must either

• be an active member in good standing and employed by at least one school jurisdiction in the geographic district in which you are running,
• be an associate member in good standing and be employed by a school jurisdiction in the geographic district in which you are running or
• be an associate member in good standing, employed by an employer without a local (e.g., Alberta Education) and reside in the geographic district in which you are running.

Active members are teachers employed by Alberta school boards — with the exception of those designated as associate members by their board with the approval of the Association (e.g., superintendents). Associate members are those who have had associate membership granted to them by the Association upon application and payment of applicable fees.

Remuneration

The Association enters into agreements with school boards to ensure members elected to PEC have the release time needed to serve on Council and conduct their required functions. For the position of president, this means full-time release; for vice-president and district representative positions, it is a maximum of 100 days.

In addition to release time, PEC members are provided honoraria and expense coverage related to Council meetings and other related duties and activities.

Nomination information and forms

Posted on the ATA website is the complete call-for-nominations package, which contains ­essential election information, schedules and forms. Hard copies of the package have been sent, for the purposes of reference and sharing, to all ATA local secretaries and to ATA school representatives at every school in the province.

Nomination deadline

The deadline for nominations is Jan. 18 at 5 p.m.

Voting

Voting will be conducted March 14–18 online and requires voters to have an online ATA account.

Terms of office

Candidates successful in this election will serve from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2021.

Contacts for 2019 PEC election

Direct your questions regarding the 2019 PEC election to either of the following election team members:

Robert Mazzotta
ATA Elections Returning Officer
robert.mazzotta@ata.ab.ca
780-447-9445

Laura Harris
ATA Elections Administrative Officer
laura.harris@ata.ab.ca
780-447-9476

Keep in touch and we’ll keep you posted.

For up-to-date election information, read the ATA News, visit the ATA website (www.teachers.ab.ca) and follow us on Facebook (@ABteachers) or Twitter

(@albertateachers). ❚

Why run?

Members of Provincial Executive Council (PEC) direct the business of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), which is recognized through legislation as the organization representing the teaching profession in Alberta. The goals of the ATA include

• advancing and promoting the cause of education in Alberta,

• improving the teaching profession,

• increasing public interest in the importance of education and knowledge of education matters and

• co-operating with other organizations and bodies in Canada and any other countries having the same interests.

For any ATA member sharing those goals, serving as a member of PEC would support his or her personal growth and professional capacity in addition to benefiting the teaching profession.

Why vote?

The ATA is the organization that represents the teaching profession in Alberta. Members of PEC make decisions about the business of the ATA, which influences the professional lives of teachers.

Voting in the 2019 PEC election provides the opportunity for teachers to have a say in who speaks for them with key education stakeholders at the provincial and national levels. An example of such a stakeholder is the Government of Alberta, with whom the ATA is currently participating as a partner in the development of new K–12 curriculum.

Your vote is your voice. ❚