“Ours is a house divided,” said Jacquie Hansen, Alberta School Boards Association president on Thursday, referring to the response from individual boards to last week’s labour agreement with Alberta teachers.
The ASBA isn’t endorsing, nor rejecting the deal, leaving the vote up to local divisions. Boards are being offered a comfort letter to address some concerns.
“We’re working to assure our school boards of some uncertainties in this agreement,” said Hansen of the worries related to instructional time, a new Exceptions Committee and funding of a 2% raise and lump some payment due to teachers later in the contract.
“This comfort letter is there to insure, with the Premier’s signature, that these things will be looked after,” she added.
Lethbridge Public School District No. 51 is expected to support the deal. Board chair Mich Forster believes the ASBA doesn’t need to choose sides.
“Their role in this whole thing should be to bring boards together,” said Forster. “Ultimately we make the decisions at the local level.”
“My belief is this agreement will work,” he said.
School boards will finish voting on the agreement in the coming weeks. Holy Spirit Catholic Schools board is against the deal.
- What is a halal mortgage? How interest-free home financing works in Canada
- Capital gains changes are ‘really fair,’ Freeland says, as doctors cry foul
- Ontario doctors offer solutions to help address shortage of family physicians
- Budget 2024 failed to spark ‘political reboot’ for Liberals, polling suggests
Comments