Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling has issued the following statement regarding the Government of Alberta’s announcement of an expansion to the Classroom Complexity Grant program for Grades 7–12:
“Any investment that recognizes the realities of class size and classroom complexity in Alberta’s classrooms is a welcome and important step forward.
Today’s announcement reflects what teachers across Alberta have been saying for years: increasingly complex classrooms require additional support. The minister’s acknowledgement of these challenges, and the expansion of classroom complexity supports from elementary schools into Grades 7–12, demonstrates that the voice of Alberta teachers last October was heard and continues to make a difference.
The challenge now is to actually get teachers in front of students.
With the school year drawing to a close, school divisions will need to move quickly to recruit and place these new staff so students and teachers see meaningful support when classrooms reopen in the fall. Ultimately, the success of today’s investment will be realized when qualified teachers are in schools by September, when resources reach the classrooms with the greatest need and when this funding is sustained over the long term.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association acknowledges today’s progress and appreciates the work of the Cabinet Committee in responding to concerns raised by teachers. At the same time, we all understand that there is still work to be done.
We will continue to advocate for sustained investment, predictable staffing and smaller class sizes to ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed and every teacher has the support needed to meet the growing complexity of Alberta’s classrooms.”
The Alberta Teachers’ Association, as the professional organization of teachers, promotes and advances public education, supports teachers’ professional practice and serves as the advocate for its 51,000 members.