Council approves in-person conventions for next year

Highlights of the Provincial Executive Council meeting held April 20 to 21 at Barnett House, Edmonton.

1. Approved the in-person delivery of teachers’ conventions for the 2023/24 year.
2. Nominated Jenny Regal as the Association’s candidate for the position of vice-president of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation.
3. Selected Philippe Bresee as executive staff officer, Teacher Employment Services, Southern Alberta Regional Office, with a start date of Aug. 1.
4. Approved the proposed external competition timeline and appointed members of Council to a selection committee for recruitment of the position of associate executive secretary.
5. Authorized that a multi-faith space be available at all teachers’ conventions and provincial Association events and that multi-faith spaces be established at both Barnett House and the Southern Alberta Regional Office.
6. Awarded the 2023 Alberta Teachers’ Association Doctoral Fellowships in Education and the John Mazurek Memorial–Morgex Insurance Scholarship.
7. Authorized the purchase of eight tickets for the Ever Active Schools Running Shoe Gala & Silent Auction, taking place on May 26.
8. Amended administrative guidelines pertaining to the types of vendors permitted at teachers’ conventions.
9. Amended administrative guidelines relating to the local Summer Conference allowance to reflect new billing practices at the Banff Centre.
10. Authorized the Association to execute a three-year contract with the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Fall Planning meetings.
11. Received the decision of an appeal committee, which upheld the decision of the professional conduct committee, and received a notice of a hearing of an appeal.
12. Received the report of a hearing committee that found a teacher guilty of two charges of unprofessional conduct for engaging in text communications with a student that were inappropriate to the teacher–student relationship. The hearing committee imposed a penalty of a single letter of severe reprimand and a total fine of $1,700 for both charges.
13. Received the report of a hearing committee that found a teacher guilty of two charges of unprofessional conduct for failing to appear for work when expected and failing to arrange a substitute teacher and for abandoning the teacher’s employment by withdrawing from all contact with the teacher’s employer. The hearing committee ordered a penalty of ineligibility for membership in the Association and a recommendation to the minister of education that the teacher’s certificate be cancelled.
14. Received the report of a hearing committee that found a teacher guilty of three charges of unprofessional conduct for asserting inappropriate aggression in the classroom and toward students. The hearing committee ordered a penalty of a single letter of severe reprimand for all three charges and a fine of $300 for each charge.
15. Rescheduled the April 2024 meeting of Provincial Executive Council due to a calendar conflict. ❚