Local school divisions outline plans ahead of looming teachers strike

Local school divisions are bracing for impact as teachers across Alberta could walk off the job as early as Monday, Oct. 6.

The looming strike comes after nearly 90 per cent of Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) members rejected a proposed contract on Sept. 29.

In Wild Rose School Division (WRSD), all schools will close if a strike proceeds. All teaching, extracurriculars, and field trips will be suspended.

The division adds, parents should make childcare plans now.

At Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS), the same action is expected, with schools also closing and learning paused.

A letter to parents from Superintendent Rhonda Nixon acknowledged the potential disruption to families, and adds the division remains committed to keeping them informed as the situation evolves.

Both divisions are preparing for major disruptions, though they’re not directly involved in bargaining, which continues at the provincial level.

Ahead of the impending strike, Alberta’s government says it will be providing financial assistance and educational resources to support parents and students in the event of a teacher strike.

The plan is expected to include a new payment program to directly support parents experiencing financial strains because of the strike. Additionally, an online learning toolkit following the Grades K-12 curriculum has also been developed to support students with at-home learning.

Eligible parents or guardians would receive $30 per day, or $150 per week, per student for the duration of the ATA’s labour action. The first payment will be made on Oct. 31.

“I’m disappointed that ATA members have rejected the settlement, choosing instead to go on strike,” said Premier Danielle Smith, in a media release Tuesday. “Students and families need to know we will support them during this time of uncertainty, so we are releasing our plan today to provide payments directly to families and to support at-home student learning.“

“Our goal is to keep our kids in the classroom,” added Nate Horner, President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance. “Our government is ready, willing and able to head back to the bargaining table at any time.”

ATA President Jason Schilling responded to the province’s plans by releasing a statement on Tuesday.

“The proposed agreement failed to meet the needs of teachers, failed to improve student classroom conditions in a concrete and meaningful way, and failed to show teachers the respect they deserve,” says ATA president Jason Schilling, in a release from the union.

He adds, “the government would rather pay parents to wait out a strike than pay teachers to prevent one.”

The rejected offer included a 12-per-cent pay raise over four years and a government promise to hire 3,000 more teachers to address class sizes.

According to the province, 80,000 new students have joined the education system in the last two years alone, with the government responding by investing $8.6 billion to build and renovate more than 130 schools. The government says this is more than any provincial government has invested in the history of the province.

Classroom complexity funding

Throughout bargaining, the government says teachers have advocated for more support to deal with the issue of increasing classroom complexity.

The government says it remains committed to help address increasing classroom complexity and will be allocating $100 million per year over three years.

Officials say these funds will hire 1,500 net new education assistants.

To further address classroom complexity, 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 province points out.

~ with files from The Canadian Press

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