Posted by Staff on July 7, 2010
Tags: Alberta Education , Alberta Legislature , budget , Inspiring Education , school boards , teachers
The following message was distributed to the education sector earlier this afternoon.
For the past eighteen months, the education sector has engaged in many conversations about the future of learning in our province. The five year agreement between the Government of Alberta and the Alberta Teacher's Association, subsequently effected in part by collective agreements between school boards and ATA locals, created a clear time frame where work like Inspiring Education could happen without the needless distractions of bargaining and "labour relations." The Government of Alberta has strongly maintained its commitment to the agreement and our consequent obligations. The funding of teachers' Alberta Average Weekly Earnings increases has clearly been part of that commitment.
Read more »Posted by Dave Hancock on June 30, 2010
Tags: Alberta Education , Catholic education , human rights , School Act , school boards
The Edmonton Journal recently ran an editorial by Paula Simons about Bill 44, the Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Amendment Act, 2009. The editorial claims "Catholic schools threatened if Bill 44 opting-out rule enforced." I have sent the Journal the following letter in response, but it has yet to be printed.
Read more »Posted by Dave Hancock on June 19, 2010
Tags: Alberta Education , budget , school boards , teachers
In recent weeks, as school boards have been preparing and debating their budgets for the coming year, there has been a lot of public discussion about whether government is fulfilling its agreement to fund teachers' salary increases. To repeat what I have said many times to school boards, teachers, reporters, and anyone else who will listen: government made a commitment in the five year agreement and we are not backing away from that commitment. Government will fund these salary increases.
Albertans are well aware that our province is weathering the same global recession that all other jurisdictions in the world face, and though we are well positioned to do so — indeed, among the best prepared in the world — we must still take prudent and measured steps to ensure that Albertans and Alberta are protected from the full impact and are well positioned for recovery.
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