In response to Alberta teachers rejecting a union-negotiated offer, the Alberta government has announced new plans meant to support students and families through a potential Oct. 6 strike.
The plan includes new curriculum-based learning supports to help keep students on track and retroactive pay for parents who are facing unexpected expenses due to job action.
Both Calgary Board of Education (CBE) and Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) offices are closed due to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and were unable to provide specific insight for Calgary families moving forward toward a strike, or comment on provincial contingency plans.
A negotiated settlement remains possible, Premier Danielle Smith said. She said the government is ready to do whatever it can to stop job action, within reason.
“To go on strike without offering meaningful… and reasonable solutions is harmful to students and to parents,” she said.
President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance Nate Horner announced that families with students under the age of 12 who attend public, separate and Francophone schools and are affected by job action can apply for a reimbursement of $30 per day ($150 a week) for the duration of a strike. The first payments will be made on Oct. 31 and funded through the school board funds that will be unused during a strike.
In preparation for Oct. 6, Alberta Education and Childcare has also created a free toolkit for parents to support their child’s learning in the event that schools are closed, according to a government-issued press release.
“The toolkit provides resources that follow the grades K-12 curriculum. The resources are available in English, French and French immersion and focus on the core subjects of language arts, social studies, math and sciences. These resources will be updated weekly,” the release reads.
The toolkit is not mandatory for students.
“This toolkit provides a week-by-week guide for parents to follow the Alberta curriculum for each week and course subject. The toolkit begins with a learn component on Monday with select videos and other information to help students learn the concepts outlined for that week,” said Minister of Childcare and Education Demetrios Nicolaides.
“Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays provide parents with practice questions, worksheets and other activities to help students practice the new concepts that they have learned. Fridays are designated as mastery days where students can delve deeper into the content.”
Provincial investments moving forward despite deal fall-through
During the Alberta Teachers’ Association’s announcement press conference, ATA President Jason Schilling said that teachers were taking a stance not only for themselves, but also for students.
“This is bigger than a contract, teachers are fighting for every student, every family and for the very future of public education in this province,” he said.
Despite the teachers voting to reject the deal, Alberta’s government remains committed to helping address increasing classroom complexity, according to the press release.
The government will address the issue head-on through $100 million per year over three years to hire 1,500 net new education assistants, they said.
“The remaining funds may be used to hire up to 725 more education assistants, or used to complete autism, mental health, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, or speech-language pathology assessments for students,” the release reads.
Premier Smith said that the government is investing $8.6 billion to build 130 new and modernized schools, adding 200,000 school spaces across the province by 2030.
“We need to provide the support, it’s absolutely necessary,” she said.
Meanwhile, the City of Calgary said that it would be prepared for a potential teachers’ strike, with bolstered recreation opportunities for parents and kids.
“The City of Calgary is prepared to support parents and families in the event of a school disruption. To help children and youth have safe, engaging opportunities during this time, we are planning on increasing recreation programming and public swim times, guided by staff availability,” read a City of Calgary email.
“A variety of programs will be offered, including Wet Feet, CANSail, PD Day Camps, Nature Explorers, Youth Wellness and Youth Leadership. Registration for these programs will be available in the coming weeks at calgary.ca/register.
