October 6 - So it Begins - The Alberta Teacher Strike

[woob]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Not sure if this was posted anywhere but sure enough the government never intended to hire 3000 additional teachers.

Latest Janet French article essentially says that the money in the March 2025 budget was part of the promise to hire 3000 teachers (1000 a year over 3 years) and since there are 1,045 more teachers this year than there were last year, year 1 requirements have been satisfied.

What a ####ing joke.

Agreed, a joke. But not surprising at all. This goverment will do everything possible to muddy the waters on this while making it SEEM like they're doing so much.

[Fuzz]

They've never had any intention of improving education in this province, just as they've never had any intention on improving healthcare, policing, pensions, or any of their other bull#### ideas. It's all about cutting what government does and enriching private industry. If you believe they care about making our lives better, I have a Donald Trump to sell you.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

This article from yesterday

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...ooms-9.6979495

The 2025-26 provincial budget, which was approved by the legislature in March, assumed Alberta schools would add 1,045 full-time teaching positions between 2024 and 2025.

School boards had forecasted hiring 850 more teachers with the money provided in the budget, and are expected to hire up to 1,000, according to Elizabeth Harper, communications adviser to Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.

“These budgeted teacher increases are included in the count of 3,000 teachers,” she said last week in an email.

The government won’t know until late November how many of those positions were filled, she added in the email.

All the more reason to recall them. Not only do they not negotiate in good faith, they can't even keep their limited promises while nuking people's right to negotiate.

They are finding new lows to what 'bad faith' means.

Touching on the topic in the other thread with the potential early election. I cannot think of a better timing for a general strike than right after the government is dissolved and an election is called (especially if it pre-emptively cancels all of the recalls). It would really punch all voters in the face to have the province grind to a halt as people head to the polls.

[CFO]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

This article from yesterday

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...ooms-9.6979495

The 2025-26 provincial budget, which was approved by the legislature in March, assumed Alberta schools would add 1,045 full-time teaching positions between 2024 and 2025.

School boards had forecasted hiring 850 more teachers with the money provided in the budget, and are expected to hire up to 1,000, according to Elizabeth Harper, communications adviser to Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.

“These budgeted teacher increases are included in the count of 3,000 teachers,” she said last week in an email.

The government won’t know until late November how many of those positions were filled, she added in the email.

Curious - did the government previously say they would hire more then the additional adds included in the budget? Or was it 3000 in addition to numbers accounted for in the prior teaching year?

[Major Major]

Originally Posted by CFO

Curious - did the government previously say they would hire more then the additional adds included in the budget? Or was it 3000 in addition to numbers accounted for in the prior teaching year?

Just curious guys!

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by CFO

Curious - did the government previously say they would hire more then the additional adds included in the budget? Or was it 3000 in addition to numbers accounted for in the prior teaching year?

Are you confused as you notice the govenrment has used misleading terms to describe their commitments when they spoke to the public in an attempt to colour teachers as greedy? Is it not clear?


I assume when most people read the words "additional" they presume it to be in "addition to" stuff that's already budgeted and done, not stuff they are promising to do when you sign the contract. The fact that it is this unclear should tell you how trustworthy they are as negotiating partners, and may perhaps shed some light as to why the teachers didn't trust the deceitful mother####ers.

[CFO]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

This article from yesterday

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...ooms-9.6979495

The 2025-26 provincial budget, which was approved by the legislature in March, assumed Alberta schools would add 1,045 full-time teaching positions between 2024 and 2025.

School boards had forecasted hiring 850 more teachers with the money provided in the budget, and are expected to hire up to 1,000, according to Elizabeth Harper, communications adviser to Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.

“These budgeted teacher increases are included in the count of 3,000 teachers,” she said last week in an email.

The government won’t know until late November how many of those positions were filled, she added in the email.

How does this not get confirmed on both sides? Whether government or ATA.

[Point Blank]

Originally Posted by CFO

How does this not get confirmed on both sides? Whether government or ATA.

There’s nothing to confirm on either side when one side invoked the notwithstanding clause.

I’ve said repeatedly that hiring teachers isn’t a CBA item, and the promise to hire 3000 teachers didn’t require the UCP to do anything different than maintaining current conditions by simply following their preexisting funding formula. We all knew this was what was going to happen, which is why it we striked.

[CFO]

Originally Posted by Point Blank

There’s nothing to confirm on either side when one side invoked the notwithstanding clause.

I’ve said repeatedly that hiring teachers isn’t a CBA item, and the promise to hire 3000 teachers didn’t require the UCP to do anything different than maintaining current conditions by simply following their preexisting funding formula. We all knew this was what was going to happen, which is why it we striked.

Is 1000 additional teachers per year the average per year for say last 5-10 years?

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by CFO

Is 1000 additional teachers per year the average per year for say last 5-10 years?

Have you considered why that's not a great metric?

[Point Blank]

Originally Posted by CFO

Is 1000 additional teachers per year the average per year for say last 5-10 years?

Average teacher hires per year isn’t the right way to look at it as enrollment growth increased massively over the last 5 years, it’s better to look at percentage growth. Raw numbers such as “hiring 3000 teachers” hide real issues which is why teachers kept advocating for teacher:student ratio caps.

Until 2020, percentage of student enrollment growth and teacher FTE matched.
Then the UCP introduced a different funding formula that led to the following:

2021
Student enrollment growth: 4%, Teacher FTE increase: 2%
2022
Student enrollment growth: 7.5%, Teacher FTE increase: 2.5%
2023
Student enrollment growth: 11%, Teacher FTE increase: 6%
2024
Student enrollment growth: 15%, Teacher FTE increase: 8%

Hiring lagged behind enrollment growth every year for the last 5 years which is what led to the current issues we are seeing today in classrooms, and is what teachers have been literally saying all of last month.

[Regorium]

Originally Posted by CFO

Is 1000 additional teachers per year the average per year for say last 5-10 years?

Just to turn it around for a moment, what did you think the UCP meant when they said they'd hire 3000 more teachers over 3 years?

Did you think it was additional 1000 teachers per year above and beyond what they were doing previously? Or did you think it was just doing what they have always done?

[Major Major]

Originally Posted by Regorium

Just to turn it around for a moment, what did you think the UCP meant when they said they'd hire 3000 more teachers over 3 years?

Did you think it was additional 1000 teachers per year above and beyond what they were doing previously? Or did you think it was just doing what they have always done?

He thinks whatever Dani tells him to think so until he finds out what that is he's going to pose some vapid questions to y'all. Have fun with that.

[CFO]

Originally Posted by Regorium

Just to turn it around for a moment, what did you think the UCP meant when they said they'd hire 3000 more teachers over 3 years?

Did you think it was additional 1000 teachers per year above and beyond what they were doing previously? Or did you think it was just doing what they have always done?

I was not aware the budget previously contemplated hiring additional teachers. The way I understood is it was teachers were upset for the lack of any additions.

[CFO]

Originally Posted by Point Blank

Average teacher hires per year isn’t the right way to look at it as enrollment growth increased massively over the last 5 years, it’s better to look at percentage growth. Raw numbers such as “hiring 3000 teachers” hide real issues which is why teachers kept advocating for teacher:student ratio caps.

Until 2020, percentage of student enrollment growth and teacher FTE matched.
Then the UCP introduced a different funding formula that led to the following:

2021
Student enrollment growth: 4%, Teacher FTE increase: 2%
2022
Student enrollment growth: 7.5%, Teacher FTE increase: 2.5%
2023
Student enrollment growth: 11%, Teacher FTE increase: 6%
2024
Student enrollment growth: 15%, Teacher FTE increase: 8%

Hiring lagged behind enrollment growth every year for the last 5 years which is what led to the current issues we are seeing today in classrooms, and is what teachers have been literally saying all of last month.

Thanks for this. Are the annual total absolute numbers published anywhere to calculate %?

When I google - it scrubs from some AI data source and notes the following.

AI Overview

Alberta student enrolment has seen a consistent increase, with a total of approximately 828,900 students in the 2023-2024 school year, a rise of 33,000 students per year in recent years due to population growth. While official numbers vary by year and source, reports show enrolment increasing between 2021 and 2024.

[Point Blank]

Originally Posted by CFO

Thanks for this. Are the annual total absolute numbers published anywhere to calculate %?

When I google - it scrubs from some AI data source and notes the following.

AI Overview

Alberta student enrolment has seen a consistent increase, with a total of approximately 828,900 students in the 2023-2024 school year, a rise of 33,000 students per year in recent years due to population growth. While official numbers vary by year and source, reports show enrolment increasing between 2021 and 2024.

Have at it:
https://open.alberta.ca/opendata/stu...nd-grade-level