PEC Points

Highlights of the Provincial Executive Council meeting held December 4 and 5, 1997, at Barnett House in Edmonton

Harlan James

Approved the 1998/99 budget prognosis and referred it to the Finance Committee for an accurate costing.
Directed that the Association's current corps of professional development consultants be disbanded at the end of this school year and replaced by a new corps of 12 professional development facilitators whose primary role will be to provide leadership to school-based professional development committees and to act as a liaison between the provincial Association and teachers' convention associations.
Directed that a training program for local professional development chairs be implemented on July 1, 1998, to help chairs adapt to their new role, which will involve coordinating school-based programs, assisting school-based professional development committees to plan and deliver their programs, and linking the efforts of school-based professional development committees, regional consortia, regional specialist council programs and convention boards.
Increased the optimum strength of the instructor corps from 46 to 50.
Commended the Calgary Coalition—which consists of the Calgary Board of Education, Calgary Public Teachers Local No. 38 and SPEAK (Support Public Education and Act for Kids) for its efforts in publicizing the problems resulting from the cutbacks and the serious under-funding of education.
Directed the Resolutions Committee to formulate resolutions, for presentation at the 1998 Annual Representative Assembly, concerning the threats that the Multilateral Agreement on Investment poses to Canada's social programs, including education.
Directed that the Association donate $5,000 to the Council of Canadians to assist it in its campaign opposing the Multilateral Agreement on Investment.
Concluded that the bargaining objectives of teachers in four jurisdictions that have authorized strike votes—Grande Yellowhead Regional Division No. 35, Fort McMurray School District No. 2833, Red Deer School District No. 104 and Grande Prairie Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 28are consistent with Association guidelines.
Authorized the frame of reference of the Economic Policy Committee for Northland School Division No. 61.
Approved in principle, for presentation to the 1998 Annual Representative Assembly, a resolution calling on the government to amend the legislation and regulations governing home schooling to ensure that individuals offering such programs are accountable.
Directed that the Association continue to provide an annual operating grant of $500 and free meeting space at SARO and Barnett House to the two existing networks of home education supervisors, one in the north and one in the south.
Discharged the Task Force on Home Education with thanks.
Allocated $235,000 from the Special Emergency Fund to cover the costs of the October 4, 1997, Provincial Teachers' Rally.
Approved an over-expenditure of $146,000 to pay the Association's share of establishing an electronic information exchange among school jurisdictions, the Alberta Teachers' Retirement Fund and the Association.
Received reports of the Professional Conduct Committee imposing the penalty of an oral reprimand on a teacher found guilty on one count of unprofessional conduct, the penalty of a letter of severe reprimand and a fine of $100 on a teacher found guilty on two counts of unprofessional conduct and the penalty of a severe reprimand on a teacher found guilty on one count of unprofessional conduct.
Increased the grant-in-aid rate for subsistence from $24 to $26, effective January 1, 1998.
Directed that highlights of the results of the latest employment equity questionnaire be published in an interpretive article in The ATA News and that a summary of the results be distributed to local association contacts for women in education issues, to school superintendents and to school board chairs.
Allocated $2,500 to enable the Subcommittee on Strategy for Delivering Health, Social, Justice and Educational Services in Schools to meet with five teachers who teach in schools that have successfully integrated children's services.
Directed the Teacher Welfare Services Committee to investigate the feasibility of surveying dentists with a view to compiling a roster of dentists willing to adhere to the 1997 Alberta Dental Association's fee schedule rather than to set their own rates.
Approved an over-expenditure of $5,000 to redesign the Association's Web Site to make it more user-friendly.
Approved the audited financial statements for the 1996/97 budget year.
Named representatives to committees that the Department of Education has established to plan a symposium on international languages, to provide advice on the issue of access to instruction and to redesign the curricula for K–9 Health and Mathematics 14/24.
Approved the names of 11 teachers for inclusion in the Curriculum Name Bank.