The head of Alberta’s teachers union says the provincewide strike by thousands of his members is about drawing a line in the sand on underfunding and overcrowding that has become so egregious, kids can’t learn.
Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) president Jason Schilling says 51,000 Alberta teachers are on strike to fight for smaller class sizes and more resources to address classroom complexity.
Calgarians took to the streets on Sunday to show their support for the ATA. Hundreds of people gathered for the World Teachers’ Day Rally at the McDougall Centre in downtown Calgary, demanding improved classroom conditions, fair wages for teachers and increased funding for schools.
Deal rejected and tensions rise
Last month, teachers overwhelmingly rejected the province’s offer.
“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,” said ATA President Jason Schilling in a media release.
Supporters rallied along the streets—their voices and signs demanding change and accountability from the UCP government.
Seventeen-year-old Sir Winston Churchill High School Student Evan Li was also in attendance, speaking to the crowd.
Li, who voiced his concerns regarding Alberta’s teacher strike during the UCP government’s Alberta Next panel in Calgary last Monday, made headlines when his microphone was suddenly muted.
During that exchange, panel moderator Bruce McAllister told Li, “I know you’d love some chaos, but your parents should turn you over your knee.” McAllister later apologized.
At the protest, Li referenced the incident in his speech.
“The real Alberta advantage is not measured by the wealth beneath our feet, but by the potential of each and every one of us in Albertan classrooms,” he said. “They may cut our mics off and push the narrative that we are too young, we are too naive. However, I am confident when I speak on behalf of all Albertan students when I say, ‘No, we should not be spanked for speaking up.’”
While student learning has been paused, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has announced financial support and educational resources for families affected by the strike, providing up to $30 per child for each day of labour action. This equates to $150 per week and per child and over $30 million a week overall.
“I’m disappointed that ATA members have rejected the settlement offered,” she said in a post on X. “Students and families need to know we are supporting them during this time of uncertainty, so we released our plan today to provide payments directly to families and to support at-home student learning.”
However, parents still feel frustrated with the UCP’s response and lack of effort—calling out its “insufficiency” in addressing the root issues driving the strike.
“It’s a matter of Albertans, parents and teachers, versus the UCP. The ATA did what they had to do,” said Emily Davis, whose child is enrolled in a CBE school. “No parent wants their kid to miss school. It’s stressful for all of us, but teachers have been overworked and underpaid for the past decade, and no one’s been listening… We’ll do whatever it takes to give our kids a better future.”
Longstanding frustrations resurface
As of Aug. 2024, CBE teachers’ salaries started at $61,293 with zero years of experience and four years of teacher education, to $97,473 with ten years of experience and four years of teacher education.
A proposed unified grid with a 12 per cent increase was expected to come into effect in 2027, but ATA members’ expectations were still set high.
Many teachers declined to speak to the Calgary Journal, saying they don’t want to interfere with ongoing negotiations between the ATA and the provincial government.
However, one Calgary teacher of 28 years posted on Reddit saying, “I’ve been voting no every time for the past decade since our spending power has just been going down the tubes,” they said. “I won’t be around long enough to enjoy the fruits of this labour, but I can tell you from experience-it is worth it. Do not blink and do not cave, [the UCP] are much more scared than we are, if they lose their jobs the grift is over.”
This is the first teachers’ strike since 2002, when nearly 21,000 teachers were off the job, similarly demanding higher pay and smaller class sizes. Three weeks later, Progressive Conservative Premier Ralph Klein legislated teachers back to work, giving them a six per cent pay increase.
Davis was a high school student in 2002, impacted by the teacher strike. She says that a pattern like this should not be typical.
“History is repeating itself,” she said. “You can’t stop time. Years have passed, and governments have changed, and yet teachers are still fighting for the same basic things. How many generations will it take for them to listen?”
What are the next steps?
Around 700,000 students will be affected by the strike as negotiations between the ATA and the provincial government remain at a standstill.
Free K-12 curricula will also be offered to students in English, French and French immersion during the strike, along with a temporary lift of the 10-credit-per-year limit for distance learning.
The change allows students in grades 10 to 12 to continue earning credits through independent distance learning education for the remainder of the fall term while staying enrolled in their current school division.
Parents also have the option to enroll their child in a supervised independent school, eligible for up to 50 per cent of the home education grant for the first term, up to $450.50 per child.
To provide additional relief, the province is offering free admission to provincial heritage sites and museums, including the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller, to students under 18.
As workplaces and families adjust, October subsidy rates for children attending licensed out-of-school care full-time for grades one to six will increase to a maximum of $644.
Mount Royal University is offering a designated camp for school-aged children of Faculty and full-time employees who cannot find alternate childcare.
– With files from The Canadian Press