Alberta families brace for disruption as teachers’ strike looms

Families are bracing for a potential teachers’ strike in Alberta. Mark Villani reports.

With a provincewide teachers’ strike set to begin Oct. 6, the Alberta government, parents and community groups are preparing for widespread disruption that could affect more than 700,000 students across the province.

The United Conservative government has pledged to redirect money not paid in teacher salaries during a strike into direct support for families.

Parents of children 12 and under in public, Catholic and francophone schools would be eligible for $30 per day, or $150 per week, beginning Oct. 31.

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Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) members rejected the government’s latest contract offer this week, with nearly 90 per cent voting against the deal.

The government had offered 12 per cent wage increases over four years along with funding for 3,000 new teachers and 1,500 education assistants.

Teachers say funds should go to classrooms

ATA president Jason Schilling says teachers recognize a strike will cause “hardship on parents and a lot of anxiety and inconvenience,” but argues the government’s priorities are misplaced.

“We recognize that job action on teachers is going to cause hardship on parents and a lot of anxiety and inconvenience,” he said. “But you know, my members have been pointing out all through the day as this has been announced that money could have been put into classrooms and it would have solved a lot of the issues that we’re seeing right now.”

Parent groups say that while the money could provide short-term relief, it does not address long-standing issues in Alberta classrooms.

“What I do recognize is that the government has said these dollars are going to be taken from the pool of money that will not go to teacher salaries,” said Meagan Parisian, vice-president of the Alberta School Councils’ Association.

“But the reality of the situation is that teachers and parents recognize that there has been consistent and chronic underfunding of public education in Alberta for a very long time.”

Parisian says her organization has documented classroom sizes as large as 43 students in core courses.

“Thirty dollars per day per student in a class – if we do some quick math, that’s a big chunk of change that could be very easily redirected to supporting students in a way that they need, with the resources that teachers have been asking for to do their jobs appropriately.”

As a parent herself, Parisian also noted that she understands the immediate stress.

“I have very dear friends who are in an absolute panic because they don’t know what they’re going to do with their kids,” she said.

“I think part of the reality is that whatever system we use is not going to be perfect, but the bottom line is that there just isn’t enough money right now within the budget that has been put forward to really stand up the infrastructure spaces and the classroom spaces and the resources needed to make sure our students thrive.”

Government urges ATA to return to table

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says the province’s offer is fair and that the Alberta Teachers’ Association should avoid a strike and resume bargaining.

“Our position is that we are ready (and) willing to accept the ATA to come back to the table,” he said.

“We’re asking them, there’s no need to go to a strike. We’re asking them to go talk with their members, come back to the table and give us complete clarity over what’s required so that we can help.”

Nicolaides went on to note that the government recognizes teachers haven’t had significant raises in years, but argued the deal on the table would change that.

“It’s 12 per cent over three years. However, after other adjustments are factored in, 95 per cent of teachers would actually receive a salary increase of 17 per cent or higher,” he said. “That would mean that a first-year teacher entering into the profession with no experience would earn about $70,000, and a teacher at the high end with 10 years of experience would earn about $114,000.”

“When you also calculate our tax advantage, because we have lower taxes than B.C. and other provinces, our teachers would have the highest take-home pay in Western Canada.”

The minister added the government has pledged to hire more teachers and education assistants, while speeding up school construction.

“We’re committed to hiring thousands more teachers, thousands more EAs to help address this, and we’re accelerating school construction,” Nicolaides said.

On the new parental support program, Nicolaides said those funds would come directly from savings as a result of the strike.

“Naturally, teachers won’t be working, and so there will not be a requirement for us to provide a certain degree of funding to school boards to pay salaries. So, we want to provide it to parents to support them.

“They may want to hire a tutor; they may have additional costs for daycare and child support. So, we want to provide those savings to parents to help them with that additional cost.”

Ultimately, Nicolaides said the province is still hoping to avert a strike altogether.

“Instead of 1,000 teachers, if we need to look at 1,500 teachers or more EAs, let’s have that conversation. We’re certainly open to it, let’s get back to the table,” he said.

Opposition blames government for impasse

Alberta NDP education critic Amanda Chapman says the government had months to prevent a strike.

“It didn’t have to come to this,” she said. “We have the lowest funding per student in the country, we have classroom sizes growing out of control, we have a lack of supports for complex learners – and these aren’t new problems.

“Teachers and school boards have been raising concerns about this for months, honestly, for years at this point, and it’s a real failure of the UCP that they were not able to bring an offer to teachers that was going to address those concerns.”

Chapman says a strike is “not a win” for teachers, but a last resort. She argues the government’s online “tool kit” of videos and worksheets for parents will not replace classroom learning.

“Parents are not teachers,” she said. “It’s a ridiculous thing that the government is asking for parents to take over the education of their children.”

On the government’s proposed raises, Chapman says years of wage freezes have left teachers lagging.

“That offer does nothing to keep pace with inflation, with cost of living,” she said.

Chapman also stressed the urgent need for more support staff in classrooms.

“We’ve heard again and again from parents and teachers that education assistants are absolutely essential for kids who need extra help,” she said.

“This government laid off 20,000 education assistants not that long ago, and now they’re saying they want to add 1,500 back. That doesn’t even begin to undo the damage that was done.”

She went on to criticize the $30-a-day program, saying,

“If the UCP can afford to give $30 a day per kid, then I question why they are not able to provide that level of support to teachers, to keep them in the classroom and to keep the classroom open.”

CTF defends government plan

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is speaking out and providing its stance that the Alberta government’s proposal was generous, and parents deserve to be compensated if schools are shut down.

“It’s a pretty generous offer coming from the Alberta government, especially considering the fact that we’re staring down a debt of like $84 billion,” said Kris Sims, Alberta director for the federation.

Sims said if teachers had accepted the deal, “Alberta teachers would be the highest paid teachers in all of Western Canada.”

She pointed to salary scales showing that teachers in their ninth year would earn about $110,000, while new teachers would start around $70,000.

“With the 12 per cent raises plus other adjustments, Alberta teachers would actually see take-home pay that outpaces B.C. and Saskatchewan, because we have lower taxes,” Sims said.

“You’re talking about teachers at the top end making around $114,000, and that’s before you consider a very strong pension plan and comprehensive benefits package.”

On the new parental support program, Sims also applauded Alberta premier Danielle Smith for “doing the absolute right thing” by offering compensation.

“That is definitely going to help families. And for folks who are wondering where this money is coming from, it’s from those parents who are paying taxes so schools can be open and for teachers to go do their job,”

“Guess what? If teachers are refusing to do their job, then it’s totally within their rights for parents to take that money back.”

Camps and city programs step in

Community organizations are also stepping in to help during the impending Alberta teacher strike.

Storybook Theatre in Calgary is offering strike support day camps.

“Storybook Theatre is going to be offering two different support strike support camps to accommodate students’ various interests,” said Kennedy Herrig, a marketing assistant with the company, describing programs for children aged six to 14.

While the theatre supports teachers, Herrig said the camps are aimed at easing pressure on parents.

“We’re just hoping to give our community as much support as possible in this,” she said. “We know it’s a really trying time for parents, and we know it’s kind of a trying time for students as well – with their routine being completely thrown off – so we’re just trying to give them back a bit of stability.”

The City of Calgary has also announced expanded programming as well.

Day camps for children aged five to 12 will be offered at Village Square and Southland Leisure Centres, the Glenmore Sailing School, along with extended public swim times.

Registration opens Oct. 1.