'It's very problematic': Alberta teachers slam the province as classes resume
School bells are once again ringing for thousands of Alberta students and teachers, but there are still questions around just what everyone is returning to.
Educators in the province are calling for more attentiveness from the government as they raise multiple issues ahead of another year.
Laurie McIntosh says her first concern is with a recently launched teacher registry.
It was created this week by the province to create transparency around educators and any former disciplinary action they had received. Every teacher is listed.
But many say it goes far beyond that.
"Not only was my current legal name listed," McIntosh told CTV News, "but my middle name was listed, my maiden name was listed and also a name that I had acquired through a very traumatic relationship that I had not written or spoken in 20 years. It's very problematic."
McIntosh isn't the only complainant.
"We are very concerned for our transgendered friends within education who have dead names that are listed," the Lethbridge teacher said. "We have previous names of people who have been abused (by former spouses) and people whose family members have passed away having to relive it."
Education Minister Adriana LaGrange attempted to address those concerns this week.
She took to Twitter Friday to say that Alberta Education communicated with teachers and teacher leaders over the summer to make sure they had information they needed about the registry and any possible exemptions.
McIntosh argues that the communication wasn't clear about what was possibly coming down the road.
"And the exemption process (involves) needing to write a letter to explain why the listing is problematic," she said. "I have no desire to go back and live through what I was put through under that name, and the name that was never associated with me as a teacher. I never taught under that name."
She accuses the province of launching the registry to spite teachers, an accusation completely denied by the minister.
"We do not feel supported or appreciated by a government that is supposed to be there to take care of all," she said. "All. Not some."
NEW LESSON PLAN PLANS
It's not just the registry.
Many are also unhappy with the new curriculum that will impact a handful of subjects from kindergarten to grade six.
Eligible educators only received it in May.
"That's not a lot of runway to get ready for the fall," Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) president Jason Schilling said. "There are a lot of problems that are going to be found throughout this curriculum, and it's going to make it a real challenge for those teachers and school leaders to make sure that everything is met."
FUNDING FIGHT
Education funding is once again also a hot topic heading into September.
Government spending is up, but many believe it doesn't properly account for inflation and enrolment.
"The new funding formula that the government introduced in 2019 does not adequately fund new kids into the system the first day that they walk into the building," Schilling said.
Another recent tweet from the minister only served to upset educators.
In it, LaGrange claimed that school authorities are "extremely well-funded" and that those who disagreed were only "playing politics."
The dollar signs are going up, but not per-student in classrooms that have seen massive enrolment upticks.
The minister says that money is partially made up in newly-created grants and supports.
A Supplement Enrolment Growth Grant announced last month will give additional funding for authority enrolment growth above a set threshold, and the Fuel Price Contingency Program will give authorities roughly $8 million in transportation funding.
A statement from LaGrange's office also points to recently ratified funding agreements and extra money thanks to Alberta's fuel tax suspension.
But the ATA says there's still a shortfall.
"They can't admit that that's not sufficient," he said. "Teachers still feel like they're not getting the supports that they need from government in terms of funding and resources. We do not have a very good communication relationship with the government right now."
"We cannot do our jobs well if people in government are not taking care of us," McIntosh added.
The Education Minister denied a CTV News interview request. Her office instead sent a statement.
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