Share your vision for public education

What are your hopes for Alberta’s children and our public schools so that they can thrive now and into the future? 

That is the guiding question at the core of a series of public discussions that the Alberta Teachers’ Association will roll out throughout the province from November to February. The series of seven “round table discussions” is the next phase of the Stand For Education campaign that saw more than 4,000 people rally at the Alberta legislature on Oct. 22.

“These round tables are a crucial part of setting a bold vision for the future of public education, a vision that Albertans can use to engage public and elected representatives around the importance of education during the upcoming election campaign,” said ATA president Jason Schilling.

The discussion sessions will allow Albertans to share ideas, needs and solutions for how they want the government to support public education. A committee will review the priorities identified and create key messages that ATA locals and the public can use to pressure candidates into making concrete commitments to public education. 

In-person events will be held in four regions (south, Calgary, Edmonton, north). Two online round tables will take place for Indigenous and francophone communities. Finally, a third online public round table will be available for those who may have missed any of the previous events. Furthermore, those unable to attend any of the round tables may submit their response to the guiding question on StandForEducation.ca. 

In addition to the seven public round tables, ATA local officers have a toolkit and training to promote and facilitate their own round tables around the province.

“I encourage everyone to engage their friends and family to share their hopeful views for Alberta children and public education,” Schilling said. ❚