The Alberta Teachers’ Association

You can think of it this way: if the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) were a city, Provincial Executive Council (PEC) would be similar to city council. It is a group of 20 teachers who are responsible for guiding the business of the Alberta Teachers’ Association.

Also referred to as Council, PEC is made up of five table officers (ATA president, two vice-presidents, past president and executive secretary) and 15 district representatives. Table officers (with the exception of the past president and executive secretary) and district representatives are elected to office by ATA members every two years in PEC elections. The executive secretary serves as the ATA’s chief executive officer and is responsible for implementing PEC’s decisions.

Members of PEC

• are teachers;
• meet as a council at least nine times each year;
• serve on internal and external committees and Association subgroups;
• engage in professional development as part of their duties;
• make decisions affecting the budgets, policies and strategic direction of the ATA; and
• are accountable to the ATA membership, ie, you.

Note: Budgets and policies of the Association are voted on at its Annual Representative Assembly by more than 400 teacher delegates representing teachers employed by every public, separate and francophone school board in the province.

There are differences in the responsibilities of elected PEC members depending on the office they hold.

ATA president

The ATA president works full-time out of the ­Association’s Barnett House, in Edmonton. In addition to PEC responsibilities, he or she is also
• official spokesperson for the Alberta Teachers’ Association;
• chief representative of the Association in dealings with provincial and national education stakeholders, eg, the Government of Alberta, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation;
• chair of Provincial Executive Council;
• chair of the Teacher Salary Qualifications Board; and
• an ongoing support to district representatives.

ATA vice-presidents

Additional responsibilities of the two ATA vice-presidents include but are not limited to
• alternating months as deputy president and
• serving on committees and specifically chairing either the Association’s finance or resolutions committee.

District representatives

District representatives are responsible for
• presenting the views of individual teachers and ATA locals in their geographic district,
• participating in Council decision making,
• familiarizing themselves with the activities of ATA locals in their geographic district and
• communicating ATA policy and activities to teachers who are members of the ATA locals in their geographic districts.

*Sent to the attention of ATA school representatives and principals; 1 set per teacher.

Why run?

Members of Provincial Executive Council (PEC) make decisions about the business of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, which is recognized through legislation as the organization representing the teaching profession in Alberta. Goals of the ATA include:
• advancing and promoting the cause of education in Alberta,
• improving the teaching profession,
• increasing public interest in the importance of education and
• co-operating with other organizations and bodies in Canada and any other countries having the same interests.

For any ATA member who shares those goals, serving as a member of PEC would support his or her personal growth and professional capacity in addition to benefiting the teaching profession.

Why vote?

The Alberta Teachers’ Association is the organization that represents the teaching profession in Alberta. Members of Provincial Executive Council (PEC) make decisions about the business of the ATA, which influences the professional lives of teachers.

Voting in the 2017 PEC election gives teachers the opportunity to have a say in who speaks for them with key education stakeholders at the provincial and national levels. An example of such a stakeholder is the Government of Alberta, with whom the ATA is currently participating as a partner in the development of new
K–12 curriculum.

Your vote is your voice.

Where You Can Run and Vote

ATA members from anywhere in the province can run for the positions of ATA president and vice president. For district representative positions, where you can run and vote differs. To find out where you can run and vote,
click here.