Communication from the ATA

Latest Communication from the ATA

A pre-Thanksgiving message from ATA president Jason Schilling and CTBC chair Rick Kremp.

October 10, 2025

Thank you, teachers

What a truly historic week it’s been!

This past week, tens of thousands of people across Alberta attended rallies and demonstrations, sending an undeniable message of support for teachers and public education. From these massive events to park picnics, community walks, door knocking and flooding MLA inboxes, you have truly shown the province what solidarity and commitment look like. You have been strong, united and loud!

Your collective voice has been heard. Parents, members of the public and even some politicians are listening. We have received overwhelming encouragement from every corner of the province, and while we have seen the usual distractions and excuses from a few, your unified message has cut through the noise. Alberta teachers are standing together for the future of public education, and we have the public’s backing.

I recognize that this journey has been difficult. The uncertainty, the strong emotions and the sheer weight of what we are fighting for can take its toll. This is why it is so important to remember that you are not alone. You are in this battle shoulder to shoulder with 51,000 colleagues and countless parents. This weekend, please take the time to focus on yourself and those you hold dear. As we enter next week, reach out to your colleagues. Visit a strike centre if there is one nearby. Call a colleague for a walk or connect over a virtual coffee. However you do it, stay connected and stay grounded.

Our bargaining team will be back at the table on Tuesday, October 14. They have heard your concerns, and they will continue to advocate tirelessly on your behalf. Please know this: our battle continues, and collectively, we need to stay loud and united and take care of each other.

We are 51,000 teachers strong. Our resolve, unity and determination are our greatest assets. Thank you for everything you are doing to promote public education in our province. Stay strong; stay united.

With deepest gratitude and solidarity,

Jason

Thank you for your support and advocacy

First, I’d like to thank teachers for trusting the bargaining team and the bargaining process. The current situation makes it difficult to continue to have faith, but your support enables us to do our best for you at the bargaining table.

The next formal bargaining meeting is scheduled for next week, the earliest that employer representatives made themselves available. Please know that your representatives at the bargaining table remain committed to finding solutions to your concerns.

I know that we all are so tired of being asked what we want, but it’s critical that every one of us takes every possible opportunity to educate Albertans about the reality we face every day in our schools. This Thanksgiving weekend, you may be asked about the strike at every social function you attend, so please remember and share this: at the bargaining table we are asking for three main things.

Fair pay
Teachers have had a 5.75 per cent pay increase in the last 10 years—not nearly enough to keep up with inflation.
Teacher–student ratios
Remind people that Alberta spends the least in Canada per student, which has translated into class sizes that are too large. Emphasize what we know from research: class size matters, and the more one-on-one attention a child receives in the classroom, the better.
Support for complex classrooms
Kids have diverse learning needs that teachers try to meet as best as they can. Share the complexity of your classroom with details. For example, instead of saying “I have seven IPP’s,” explain that one child in your class requires all the work to be converted into audio while another needs additional time to complete exams, but there is no one to supervise them, and so on.

If your relatives and friends want to help, invite them to share our message about public education and how the system needs help. Have them contact their MLA.

Finally, while it’s important that we all remain active in sharing our message, please take time this weekend for relaxation and enjoyment. It is critical that we all take care of ourselves and each other. Together we will advance the bargaining process and make a difference for public education in this province.

Rick

Bargaining resumes Oct. 14

October 9, 2025

A formal bargaining meeting will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 14 between the ATA’s Central Table Bargaining Committee (CTBC) and the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA). This is the earliest date that TEBA was available. As with previous meetings, an appointed mediator will also be involved.

This meeting has come about after a series of informal talks over the past several days involving key members of both bargaining committees in an effort to find common ground and explore paths forward in bargaining.

As always, and despite misleading comments made by Alberta government ministers, the Association and CTBC remains committed to finding solutions at the bargaining table to the concerns that teachers have brought forward, specifically class sizes and complexity, fair pay and support for classroom complexities.

In alignment with our usual practice, the ATA intends to avoid bargaining in the media or issuing premature and ill-considered commentary for the sake of making noise. However, we will provide accurate and timely updates, to Association leaders and to members as we are able, understanding the critical concern that members have around collective bargaining.

Alberta teachers feeling stressed and overextended--new report

October 8, 2025

Teaching on Empty

Alberta teachers among the world’s most stressed and overextended, OECD report

Alberta’s teachers rank first globally for occupational stress, working in classrooms that are among the most diverse and challenging, as revealed by new evidence released October 7, 2025, from the world’s largest international survey of teachers and school leaders.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) examines demographics, workloads, resources and working conditions across education systems. According to the 2024 report, teachers in Alberta are experiencing stress at the highest global levels.

In Alberta, 42 per cent of teachers report experiencing high levels of work-related stress, with the global average at just 19 per cent. This new data underscores a significant and escalating concern for Alberta teacher and school leader well-being under current classroom conditions. The most commonly reported sources of stress for teachers are having too much marking (52 per cent), being responsible for students’ social and emotional well-being (51 per cent), and maintaining classroom discipline (48 per cent).

Weekly workload
Alberta teachers also rank near the top in the world for highest weekly work hours. The data show that Alberta teachers work 47 hours per week, which is behind only Japan, New Zealand and Singapore and is, on average, 5 hours more per week than all other countries.

A typical workweek for an Alberta teacher involves not only teaching students but also planning lessons, marking student assignments, taking on administrative duties, conducting and reporting student assessments, documenting student progress, engaging in professional development, leading student extracurricular activities, and communicating with parents.

Disrespect
Since the last TALIS report, in 2018, Alberta’s teachers have experienced the sharpest decline in how valued they feel by policy-makers. According to the TALIS 2024 report, the percentage of Alberta teachers who believe that their views are respected by the government fell to just 13 per cent, a drop of 25 percentage points, which is the largest drop among all OECD countries.

Classroom disruptions
Alberta teachers report spending about 20 per cent of their overall instructional time addressing behavioural issues in the classroom, up from 13 per cent in 2018. TALIS 2024 data mirrors Alberta Teachers’ Association research that indicates that Alberta is now in the top three education systems (out of 50 countries) in terms of the proportion of teachers who report spending substantial time managing classroom disruptions. Teachers and school leaders in this report continue to raise alarms about rising incidents of aggression, verbal abuse and intimidation, all signs of worsening classroom climates.

New teachers
Early-career teachers, those within the first five years of professional practice, are feeling this pressure most acutely: over 40 per cent of beginning teachers in Alberta report frequent classroom interruptions. This directly echoes the ATA’s June 2025 research showing evidence of dramatic declines in beginning teachers’ sense of self-efficacy (confidence and competence). Overall, TALIS 2024 shows that one in five teachers under 30 years of age plan to leave the profession within the next five years, a figure that rises to half of young teachers. For education systems concerned about teacher shortages, the experience of those new to the profession should be of particular interest.

Alberta continues to stand out internationally for both the intensity of these challenges and the complexity of teachers’ working conditions.

Second-career teachers (trades)
Finally, TALIS 2024 highlights troubling trends in the job satisfaction of Alberta teachers, particularly among those entering the profession from other careers.

In Alberta, 11 per cent of teachers are second-career teachers (that is, they have entered the profession from other work backgrounds). TALIS 2024 shows that second-career teachers in Alberta report a 20 per cent lower level of satisfaction than their peers. This indicates that Albertans who have transitioned into teaching from careers such as the trades are finding it especially challenging to succeed under our current classroom conditions.

This report reinforces the current state of public education in Alberta and the difficulties teachers are facing daily.

About the study
Conducted by the OECD every five years since 2008, TALIS provides comprehensive global data on teaching and learning. In the 2024 cycle, 50 countries and 55 education systems contributed to the findings, with 280,000 teachers globally and a sampling of over 1,800 from Alberta.

Alberta is the only Canadian jurisdiction that has participated in the main TALIS teacher and principal survey (Grades 7–9, ISCED 2) in every cycle since 2013. The Alberta sampling was paid for by the Government of Alberta.

See the detailed findings here: www.oecd.org/en/publications/2025/10/results-from-talis-2024_28fbde1d.html.

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