One day after the Alberta Teachers’ Association said it was filing an injunction against the use of the province’s notwithstanding clause to force them back to work, Alberta’s premier and education minister have said they are creating a new cabinet committee to address classroom challenges and complexity.
The government says the committee will help guide government policy and assign resources to deal with the issues that have long been raised by educators, students and parents, and were at the crux of the strike that was ended when the province implemented a contract previously rejected by union members.
Premier Danielle Smith says the issue couldn’t be truly addressed at the bargaining table and so the notwithstanding clause and subsequent committee formation were necessary.
“It was a unique situation, not the one that would’ve been our first choice — we would’ve preferred the strike ended with a negotiated settlement, it didn’t — and this is our response to it,” she said. “We had told the teachers that we heard loud and clear that we needed to address issues of complexity.
Smith explains one of the solutions being explored was similar to one implemented in Saskatchewan following its teachers’ strike: specialized classrooms capped at 15 students, with one teacher and two educational assistants.
“So, that’s the kind of issue that you have to deal with, not at a bargaining table with an arbitrary pupil-teacher-ratio but through the kind of collaboration we’re announcing here today,” she said.
The committee is made up of four government ministers and Premier Danielle Smith, as well as administrative personnel from various school boards, and the associate executive secretary of the Alberta Teachers’ Association.
However, only cabinet members of the committee are able to vote.
School boards will be able to submit data to the committee until Nov. 24.
ATA president Jason Schilling responded to the announcement, saying the move was a direct result of collective action.
“Over the last two years, teachers have voiced concerns about class sizes, complexity and a lack of supports. But, it took 51,000 teachers and school leaders, united in job action, to bring about change,” Schilling said. “As a partner of the class size and complexity cabinet committee, we will share teachers’ expertise and lived experiences to come up with practical solutions to create better classroom environments.”
Calling the committee “a step in the right direction,” Schilling emphasized the importance of accountability and follow-through.
“We will see it through to ensure the government delivers on its promise to enact real change,” he said. “Now, the government must show that it’s ready to repair the damage, rebuild trust and finally do right by Alberta’s public education system.”