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The Alberta Teachers’ Association is releasing a letter sent to Education Minister Adriana LaGrange on April 26 that the minister has only responded to today after a six-week wait and only after leaking the letter and her response to media first. The letter sent to LaGrange offers an opportunity for the ATA to “help facilitate a meaningful dialogue between classroom teachers” and public servants in the curriculum branch at Alberta Education: an offer that was ignored in the minister’s response.
“It’s not just teachers and the ATA that have no confidence in this curriculum, it’s an alarming number of parents, school boards and curriculum experts as well. It’s public opinion.”
—Jason Schilling, ATA president
In an independent May 2021 Environics poll, 61 per cent of Albertans believe the UCP government is mishandling public education and nearly 40 per cent have identified curriculum as a top issue.
“Instead of listening to the wishes of Albertans, this minister has aimed the government’s ire on their usual target, ‘the union boss’s agenda.’ She has publicly accused us of bullying and intimidation. I find it distressing that she views the voices of concerned Albertans as bullying.”
—Jason Schilling, ATA president
The minister has repeatedly said that teachers and the ATA would be engaged in consultation and that she would be open to input from the ATA, but the most recent request to meet with teachers and discuss the curriculum has been denied. The government website on curriculum development states that Alberta Education was to have conversations with the ATA and other education partners, prior to public release of the draft curriculum—that did not happen and the current effort from the ATA to engage has been rebuked.
President Schilling continues to encourage the minister to listen to the overpowering response from Albertans to halt the curriculum pilot and engage in meaningful discussion.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association, as the professional organization of teachers, promotes and advances public education, safeguards standards of professional practice and serves as the advocate for its 46,000 members.
