On eve of strike, Alberta teachers say students ‘falling through the cracks’

A teachers’ strike is “imminent,” said the union representing Alberta’s educators Sunday, as thousands gathered in Edmonton on the eve of a strike.

“Right now, a strike is imminent. We will be on strike tomorrow (Monday). If a deal was to be negotiated, and ideally we would like that, we’d still have to go through our process of member affirmation meetings, voting and so on,” Alberta Teachers Association president Jason Schilling said.

It would take “about a week” for teachers to affirm any new deal, Schilling said.

He added that the union and the province are “back at the table in an exploratory way right now.”

“We’re just letting those talks happen at the table outside of the media eye so that we can try to find a solution to issues that teachers are seeing,” he said.

According to Schilling, Alberta has had “the least-funded education system for a decade.”

“It’s a crisis,” he said.

Teachers at Sunday’s rally called for the provincial government to better fund Alberta’s public education system.

“Schools are underfunded. Students deserve so much better and more. And we can’t give it to them. Without this funding and without this support within the classrooms, kids are just not getting the education that every one of them deserves,” said Lorry Kelly, a high school math teacher.

Kelly said she’s had to go above and beyond to ensure her students have everything they need.

“I’m at thrift stores throughout the summer looking for things that parents may not be able to supply – the calculators, the geometry sets.”

Sunday’s rally also included parents.

“They’re doing this for our kids. This is the point of the strike,” said Nancy Kirkpatrick, who has two kids in high school.

In a statement, the Alberta government urged the union to keep talking.

“We have asked the ATA to get back to the bargaining table this weekend,” said a ministry spokesperson. “They have not been available for formal bargaining talks. Our goal is to keep our kids in the classroom. We are ready to get back to the bargaining table as soon as the ATA leadership is ready.”

Schilling said the issue of underfunded schools affects students most of all.

“Too many students are falling through the cracks and teachers are tired of watching them fall through the cracks faster every day,” he said.

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Another matter at issue is class sizes, he said.

“Having taught a class of over 40 students, I don’t get enough time with each student to work with them the way that I want to,” he said.

The province’s 51,000 teachers recently voted nearly 90 per cent to reject the government’s latest offer, leading to Monday’s strike deadline.

The offer included a 12 per cent pay hike over four years and a promise to hire 3,000 more teachers.

The province also offered to cover the cost of COVID shots for teachers. It also said it’s willing to negotiate other terms “within reason.”

However, Schilling said the hiring offer is “a drop in the bucket” compared the 5,000 teachers the ATA says are needed to align with its desired student-teacher ratios.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said on Thursday the province has already posted a curriculum online that parents can use to teach their children should teachers make good on their promise to walk off the job.

In an interview, Nicolaides said it’s not fair that students would be forced to bear the brunt of the walkout, which would affect more than 700,000 students across 2,500 public, separate and francophone schools.

“That’s the primary reason why we put this tool kit together,” he said. “So that parents, if they are willing and able, can support their child’s continued academic progression and learning.”

The ATA says its members recognize a strike could inconvenience parents, but Schilling insists they are standing up for children.

–with files from The Canadian Press

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