The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Highlights of the Provincial Executive Council meeting held Dec. 6–7, 2018, at Barnett House in Edmonton

1. Authorized the Association to request the services of a mediator under section 65 of the Labour Relations Code in central table bargaining with the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association.
2. Authorized the registration of the Association with Elections Alberta as a third-party advertiser, with up to $300,000 in election advertising expenses, in compliance with the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act.
3. Authorized the president to request that the minister of education grant the appropriate leadership credential to certificated teachers employed in senior positions within the Alberta Teachers’ Association and Alberta Education. The request will apply to those employed up to and including 2018/19. It will also ask that the appropriate leadership credential be granted to certificated teachers within Alberta faculties of education who are involved in the leadership certification program and that a system be created to enable certificated teachers who are school leaders to autonomously apply for leadership inservicing.
4. Approved that the Association take immediate steps to protect, maintain and enhance collegiality in Alberta schools through a variety of advocacy, research and communication activities that focus on the benefits of a unitary, collegial teaching profession and support efforts to enhance the image and reputation of school leaders within the profession in the context of a unitary, collegial teaching profession.
5. Authorized the president to write to the minister of education urging Alberta Education to collaborate with the Association to create resources, provide inservicing and support professional development for school leaders in advance of mandatory curriculum implementation. The letter will also urge the ministry to create reasonable timelines and provide sufficient funding to ensure that schools have the necessary resources and that teachers receive the necessary professional development in advance of curriculum implementation.
6. Authorized the president to write to the minister of labour communicating teacher and school leader concerns about the granting of approvals to school districts under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and approved, for the consideration of the Resolutions Committee, a resolution for the 2019 Annual Representative Assembly regarding the granting of approvals to school districts under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
7. Effective April 1, 2019, increased the Teacher Qualifications Service fee for basic evaluation to $85, the fee for re-evaluation to $135 and the fee for duplicate evaluations to $60.
8. Authorized sponsorship of up to five youth delegates (under the age of 30) to attend the Women Deliver Conference 2019 at a total cost of USD $2,000.
9. Authorized the purchase of a table of eight tickets for the Parkland Institute Fundraising Gala Dinner and Silent Auction, taking place in Edmonton on Feb. 28.
10. Authorized an overexpenditure of $25,000 in order to offer unused entitlement as of March 15 to other locals wishing to send additional delegates to the Political Engagement Seminar on a first-come, first-served basis.
11. Authorized the Association to finalize cellular telephone agreements with Telus and Rogers to offer discounted service contracts to Association members.
12. Received the report of an appeal committee, which found the decision of the hearing committee to be reasonable and, as a result, the appeal was denied.
13. Received the report of a hearing committee, which found a teacher guilty of one charge of unprofessional conduct for being absent from school without permission, contrary to article 18 of the Code of Professional Conduct. The investigated teacher entered a joint submission on penalty, which recommended a letter of reprimand; however, the hearing committee imposed a penalty of a verbal reprimand.
14. Requested that the Association make arrangements to display the Franco-Albertan flag in Council chambers and the auditorium at Barnett House.
15. Authorized staff to conduct an annual survey of Association committee members and representatives to external committees to provide insight into the extent to which Association and external committees accomplish their objectives.
16. Appointed members to the Women’s Leadership Subcommittee of the Diversity, Equity and Human Rights Committee.
17. Amended the frame of reference for the Curriculum Committee to increase the membership to include a field member with expertise in Indigenous education.
18. Approved an additional $18,000 from contingency for further meetings of the Committee on Convention Review. Amended the committee’s frame of reference to provide for presentation of a final report to Council by October 2019 and approved the immediate release of the committee’s preliminary report to members.
19. Approved a validation symposium on April 26 where focus groups, workshops and other validation activities on convention review can occur, with costs approved for the attendance of one representative from each convention association, local association and specialist council. ❚