With Alberta’s grade school educators and the Smith UCP government now on a potential collision course following a strike vote by Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) members, parents and other guardians are right to be concerned and/or worried about the possible negative impacts on students across the province.
A recent strike vote by almost 40,000 ATA members passed with 95 per cent voting in favour, setting the stage for a province-wide strike, perhaps as early as the beginning of the 2025-26 school year.
Whether the provincial government and the province’s teachers will be able to come to an agreement before students head back to classes remains to be seen. What is known is that great effort should and must be made to ensure students do not end up becoming pawns in the dispute.
For his part, ATA president Jason Schilling says large class sizes, increasing classroom complexity, dwindling supports, and wages that do not account for the challenges or keep pace with inflation remain sticking points between teachers and their employers.
“For too long, teachers have been propping up a system that is under-resourced and overburdened,” said Schilling. “The government needs to act now, because Alberta’s kids can’t wait. The future of public education depends on it.”
Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner said in a statement that the province has “tremendous respect for teachers, principals, system leaders and school divisions for their ongoing hard work inspiring and guiding students.”
He called on teachers to accept a mediator's recommended settlement.
That recommendation includes a general wage increase of 12 per cent over four years and a grid harmonization that would increase wages further, he said.
“The recommendation also included a government commitment of more than $400 million in classroom improvements which would have started this fall,” he said.
Parents, guardians and other residents across the province will be expecting and insisting that the ATA and the Smith government work tirelessly this summer to ensure students are able to return to classes in September without disruption.
Dan Singleton is an editor with the Albertan
