The following is a prepared statement delivered to media by Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling following today’s government announcement.
I want to begin this afternoon by acknowledging the tragedy that occurred this week in Tumbler Ridge. Schools are more than buildings filled with desks, books, and routines.
They are vital public institutions—safe, supportive spaces where students are seen, valued, and given every opportunity to grow. They are the hearts of our communities.
Though provincial borders may separate us, the bonds of our profession unite us. When tragedy affects one school community, it affects us all. To the community of Tumbler Ridge, we extend our deepest condolences. We stand with you in your grief.
Today’s announcement of additional teachers and educational assistants serves as a long-overdue admission that the government has chronically underfunded our schools for years.
This shift is a direct result of relentless advocacy by teachers, bolstered by parents and communities who collectively demanded an end to an unsustainable status quo. Ultimately, it was this shared resolve—culminating in the largest job action in Alberta’s history—that forced a recognition of the systemic pressures facing public education and brought us to this pivotal moment.
Government today has announced this initial step toward restoring appropriate learning conditions in Alberta especially those classrooms facing the most significant challenges.
However, too often we have heard government officials say they have heard the voices of teachers but failed to act; therefore, teachers and school leaders will be skeptical of today’s announcement.
The government’s newly released data confirms what teachers have long known: classroom complexity is not the exception; in 99 per cent of classrooms, it is the unfortunate norm.
We will need to spend time analyzing the data released by government today to ensure that it truly reflects the nature of our class sizes and needs.
This complexity is systemic, province-wide, and deeply entrenched. Transparent, comprehensive data—something the Alberta Teachers’ Association has championed for years—must now guide all policy decisions.
The high thresholds set for intervention underscore just how widespread the challenges have become. According to government data, only schools experiencing ten or more significant complexity incidents are supposed to benefit from this first phase of supports.
While targeted intervention is necessary, it is only a beginning. Alberta must commit to stable, predictable, and adequate funding that reflects the full scope of need across the entire education system.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association will closely monitor the deployment of these new resources to ensure they result in real improvements for students and teachers. It is now the responsibility of school boards to act swiftly so that new staffing is in place without delay.
Teachers remain steadfast in their commitment to their students and will continue to call out government and school boards when they fail to meet students’ needs. While today’s announcement provides support for kindergarten to Grade 6, significant and unmanageable needs persist in Grades 7 to 12. Those students must be next.
We all know a single initiative cannot reverse years of erosion in supports, staffing, and resources.
In the weeks ahead, we expect a provincial budget that builds on this step and moves Alberta toward a fully resourced, sustainable public education system—one that is no longer spends the least per student in the country. In the coming months, we will also be looking for a comprehensive, province-wide framework to address class size and complexity.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association will continue advancing this work on behalf of students and teachers across the province. This progress must not stop here.
The media conference can be viewed on the ATA’s YouTube channel.