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Defend your profession

An important message from ATA president Jason Schilling

January 18, 2022 Jason Schilling, ATA President

Dear Colleagues,

Public education is under attack in Alberta. 

Though current circumstances are very difficult, as you work tirelessly to keep schools open and afloat during this pandemic, we must unite to defend our public education system for the sake of our students, our profession and each other. 

Throughout the entire duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, we teachers have faced repeated threats of deprofessionalization, including a disastrous curriculum, funding cuts, increased class sizes and the outright dismissal of the profession’s concerns about the handling of Covid in schools. Now we’re facing yet another critical threat – an attempt to take the disciplinary function away from the ATA.

Colleagues, while this change might sound harmless, it is actually very serious. This is an attack on our very profession. If this removal of the ATA’s professional function occurs, I have absolutely no doubt that we will see further erosion of our profession, our association and, thus, of our public education system.

As teachers, we fight for what we value: our students, our profession and public education. When they weaken our association, they weaken our voice. Together we need to defend our association, because it is this profession that is leading the fight for students and public education in this province.

United in strength and solidarity,

Jason Schilling


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