ATA governance

Your ATA is divided into 55 locals. Each local includes teachers who work in a school division or district. All teachers in any one school district must belong to the same local. A local can also include the teachers of more than one school district.

The ATA groups locals into 11 larger units, called geographic districts.

Every May long weekend, the ATA hosts the Annual Representative Assembly (ARA). ARA is the annual general meeting of the teacher delegates who represent all the locals. At least two delegates attend from each local, for a total of about 425 representatives. ARA approves an annual budget and revises bylaws. It also decides on programs for the following year and shapes ATA policy on education issues.

A committee of 20 representatives, called the Provincial Executive Council or PEC, meets at least eight times during the school year. PEC includes

• the ATA president,
• two vice-presidents,
• the past president,
• the executive secretary and
• 15 members from the 11 geographic districts.

The Calgary City and Edmonton McMurray districts each have three representatives. The other nine districts each have one.

District members elect the 15 district representatives, who serve a two-year term. All ATA members elect the president and vice-presidents, who also serve two-year terms. Elections happen every two years, in early spring. Terms of office start on July 1.

Several advisory committees help PEC with ATA business. PEC appoints members to these committees each year.

The executive secretary is the ATA’s chief executive officer. Together with ATA staff, the executive secretary carries out policies created at ARA, PEC decisions and PEC committee work.