The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Highlights of the Provincial Executive Council meeting held January 19 and 20, 2012, at Barnett House, in Edmonton

1. Approved the 2012/13 ­proposed budget for distribution to locals.
2. Approved, for presentation to the 2012 Annual Representative Assembly (ARA), a resolution setting the annual fee payable by a full-time, active member at $1,221, effective September 1, 2012.
3. Approved, for presentation to the 2012 ARA, a resolution setting the annual fee payable by an associate member at $183.15, effective September 1, 2012.
4. Approved the name of one recipient of honorary membership in the Association, which is reserved for members or other persons who have given meritorious service to the teaching profession, to the Association or to the advancement of education.
5. Approved the name of one recipient of the Public Education Award, which recognizes individuals or groups that have given outstanding support to public education in Alberta other than through teaching.
6. Nominated an individual for the 2012 CTF (Canadian Teachers’ Federation) Public Education Advocacy Award, which recognizes groups or individuals who are nonteachers and who have made major contributions to public education at the provincial/­territorial, national or international level.
7. Nominated an individual for the 2012 CTF Special Recognition Award, which recognizes individuals who have given meritorious service to education and/or the teaching profession at the interprovincial/territorial, national or international level.
8. Approved dates of key Association-sponsored meetings and Council meetings for the 2012/13 school year.
9. Received the report of a hearing committee, which found a teacher guilty of two charges of unprofessional conduct for listening to students make critical comments about a teaching colleague and discussing the comments with the students without sharing the teacher’s concerns with the colleague at the time those discussions occurred and for acting on complaints that the teacher had received from students about the colleague by tutoring those students outside of the colleague’s knowledge, thereby undermining students’ confidence in the colleague. The hearing committee imposed the penalty of a letter of severe reprimand to address both charges. A third charge of making critical comments about the colleague to the school principal prior to sharing those criticisms of the colleague’s teaching practice with the colleague was withdrawn, and the hearing committee found the teacher not guilty of a fourth charge of providing a copy of the teacher’s written report about the performance of the colleague, over whom the teacher had no supervisory function, to the principal without providing the colleague sufficient time to address the concerns raised about the colleague’s teaching practice.
10. Received the report of a hearing committee, which found a teacher guilty of two charges of unprofessional conduct for engaging in a sexual relationship with a student, thereby failing to treat the student with dignity and respect, and for engaging in a sexual relationship with a student, thereby failing to maintain the honour and dignity of the profession. The hearing committee imposed the penalty of declaring the teacher ineligible for Association membership and ordering that a recommendation be made to the minister of ­education to cancel the teacher’s teaching certificate.
11. Received the report of the Professional Conduct Appeal Committee, which allowed an appeal, concluded that the penalty imposed by a hearing committee was too lenient and ordered that, in addition to declaring the teacher ineligible for Association membership for one year, a recommendation be made to the minister of education to suspend the teacher’s teaching certificate until such time as the one-year suspension ends. The hearing committee had found a teacher guilty of three charges of unprofessional conduct for exceeding appropriate teacher-student boundaries, thus failing to treat a student with dignity and respect and consideration for the student’s circumstances; for exceeding appropriate teacher-student boundaries, thus failing to act in a manner that maintained the honour and dignity of the profession; and for engaging in activities that adversely affected the quality of the teacher’s professional service. The hearing committee had imposed the penalty of declaring the teacher ineligible for membership in the Association for a period of one year, effective immediately, to address all three charges.
12. Approved Guidelines for Collective Bargaining, 2012/13—Economic Conditions.
13. Approved in principle draft “Principles for the Three Phases of Curriculum Design in Alberta.”
14. Increased, effective April 1, 2012, the Teacher Qualifications Service fee for basic evaluation from $60 to $70 and the fee for re-evaluation from $100 to $120.
15. Amended the terms of reference of the Teacher Education and Certification Committee.
16. Amended administrative guidelines regarding building/equipment and signing officers.