Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
An Alberta-wide teacher’s strike began on Oct. 6, and teachers from across the province are now showing up in locations in various communities, vocalizing their concerns for the current state of the education system.
Teachers in the province voted on a tentative agreement proposed by the Alberta government, with 89.5 per cent of teachers voting against the proposed changes to their contracts.
The government offered a 12 per cent increase in salary over four years and gave a commitment of hiring 3,000 additional teachers. Alberta Teacher’s Association has made it clear that this proposed addition was insufficient, adding that 5,000 teachers are needed at this juncture to address the current student-teacher ratio and classroom complexities.
“We don’t have support for complex classrooms,” says High Prairie ATA Local 62 President and Educator Jennifer Taylor, expressing her own concerns of inadequacies in the education system.
“We’re hoping to have adequate resources for students and teachers and a wage that attracts teachers to the profession.”
Taylor explains teachers have started gathering in various locations across the province to give one another support during a time when they are on strike without pay and to garnish public support.
Although conversations between the ATA and Alberta government resumed last week, the strike is affecting more than 700,000 students from more than 2,500 schools in Alberta. Government has prepared an online curriculum to help parents continue their children’s education for the duration of the strike.
Teachers from the area invite community members to stop and have a conversation with them as they support one another each week during the strike.
This is the first province-wide teacher strike in Alberta’s history.