When Disrespect Becomes Policy

As Albertans prepare for the first teacher strike in nearly 25 years, it’s important for parents, educators, and educational stakeholders to reflect on where we are and how we got here. First, we should remember that although the strike vote back in May was nearly unanimous, the rejection of the proposed agreement just weeks earlier was much closer — 62 per cent against, 38 per cent in favour. So why are we where we are? As a father, a teacher, and an Albertan, I believe the blame for this impasse rests squarely on the government — not simply for refusing to agree to wage increases, but for allowing public education to erode to this point.

In many of their public statements, both the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) and the government have said they could not agree on wage increases (among other things). That history stretches back more than a decade. Take my own experience: in 2012, when I returned to Edmonton after teaching in BC, my salary here jumped by more than $17,000 — that’s how much better Alberta teachers were positioned compared to colleagues in BC. Now, the tables have turned: my peers in BC with the same education and experience make about $4,000 more than I do in Alberta.

Over the past decade, Alberta teachers’ wages have stagnated while inflation has far outpaced increases. The proposed increase on the table is 12% over four years. That might keep pace with inflation in the years ahead, but it does nothing to make up for a decade of neglect, when prices climbed by double digits but teachers’ wages rose only 5.75% in total.

However, despite this huge erosion in teacher earnings, this wasn't an impossible task. As I pointed out, the agreement was rejected by a relatively modest margin. So, to avoid a strike, the government didn't need to change the minds of every teacher; they needed to convince about 12% of the teachers to have a different view.

While wages are a major sticking point, respect and trust could have gotten the government 12% more support — leading to a deal without having to pay teachers more. What do I mean? Over the past eight years, the UCP has never missed an opportunity to antagonize teachers on issues that didn’t need to cost a single penny.

Let's go back to November 2019, when the Kenney government passed Bill 22, the Reform of Agencies, Boards, and Commissions and Government Enterprises Act. This legislation removed the autonomy of the Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund (ATRF) to determine its own investments, forcing teachers to transfer their pensions to AIMCo. Teachers didn't ask for that, nor did they want it. The ATRF, which managed teachers’ pension funds, had an excellent track record and the support and trust of teachers. We weren't consulted about what was being done with our money. And there was no cost to the Alberta government to leave the money where it was (I would argue the move put the government in a riskier position).

Then there was the curriculum that both the Kenney and Smith governments bulldozed through. Concerns repeatedly raised by teachers and other educational experts were ignored and sidelined. Yes, the government staged consultations with teachers, but they ignored all of the feedback they were given. (Those concerns proved correct as the government had to pause, walk back, and change numerous aspects after the fact.)

I've never been clear on what the haste to do this was. There are some aspects of the K-6 science curriculum I like, but overall, the entire development process has resulted in a worse curriculum that will lead to challenges for our kids. There was no monetary benefit to excluding teacher input from this process, while recognizing teachers’ expertise would have built goodwill that could have led to some of those 62% who voted ‘no’ having a different opinion.

What else? The overt redistribution of funds from public to private and charter schools. This doesn't just upset teachers and school boards; it makes the entire system worse off. As a parent who pays taxes, it infuriates me. I've taught in different places and systems (four different countries, several provinces in Canada, public, private, and charter schools). I believe there is a place for charter schools in Alberta, but they are a very (very) niche set of options that will never make up the bulk of the educational landscape.

Charter schools simply don't have the ability to educate the masses of students we have or to do so efficiently. If they did, it would be significantly more expensive for everyone. Yet, while the public money for education has increased by about 4% per year, charter schools have seen funding of closer to 16%. I'm not against private and charter schools in principle. But like most teachers, I find it impossible to support increasing funding for them when we aren't funding our public system properly. Charter (and to a lesser extent private)  schools are the nice-to-have options to reserve for when you have a robust, well-funded public system.

Another example: In 2023, the government decided the ATA should not oversee teacher discipline and passed Bill 15. This upset many teachers, but I wasn't one of them. Well, not at first. I worked in BC, where the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation is not directly involved in investigating complaints against teachers, so I knew how and why that system worked. However, I quickly changed my mind as the government suggested and stated that the move was necessary because teachers and the ATA were in some way hiding teacher misconduct. There has never been any evidence of that, not to mention the new system has been completely ineffective. Properly managing that transition should have involved consulting and working with teachers instead of insulting them. Again, that wouldn't have cost the government a dime, and it would have built goodwill that would be very useful right now.

And of course, there is the ham-fisted UCP book ban, which made national and international headlines. The UCP could easily have talked with the ATA, school boards, or the individual schools where the four books were. Having young kids of my own, I also have concerns about the appropriateness of the materials my kids have access to. This, however, was a solution in search of a problem. If parents have any concerns about their school library, they can (and should) visit their children’s school library. They would find that, in almost every case, the material is far more age-appropriate than even the material in your own home. Teachers work tirelessly to support students; we have kids of our own and want what’s best for all of them.

Changing the way the UCP engaged with teachers wouldn't have cost the government a single dollar, but I strongly suspect that it could have moved enough teachers to vote for the agreement they offered. As an educator, I take offence at the way teachers have been treated. But as a fiscally responsible Albertan, I'm dismayed by the waste that's being demonstrated. Building respect with Alberta teachers would have cost less than the new carpet in Danielle Smith's office.

Like many teachers, I'm a father, and it pains me that my two children will have their school year interrupted. This has been a long time coming and is the result of the government constantly and consistently displaying disrespect, ignorance, and a lack of caring towards the entire education system.

While I'm still hopeful a last-minute deal can be reached, I find that increasingly unlikely. Perhaps even more distressing are the long-term effects this will have on the education system. In the event of a strike, I expect the government eventually will table back-to-work legislation and order teachers to return to the classroom. The result will be not only angry and demoralized teachers, but also work-to-rule job action on the part of teachers.  Students will ultimately suffer as the myriad volunteer work teachers do —   from graduation ceremonies to sports teams — are scaled back or stopped altogether.

Alberta once had what I considered the best education system in the world. I fear that the advantages our education system used to have will continue to be eroded and destroyed by the same government mismanagement we've seen during the last eight years. This labour action, and the build-up of resentment and exhaustion among teachers, was not inevitable — but it was certainly predictable.

Photo Credit: Kenny Eliason on Unsplash