ATA News revamp: 48-year-old publication gets a nip and tuck—Editorial, page 2. ATANEWS WELCOME August 27, 2013 Volume 48, Number 1 News Publication of The Alberta Teachers’ Association BACK Students ready to hit the books Librarian Pauline Zapisocky at St. Catherine School, in Edmonton, signed out textbooks to Grade 9 students on the first day of school on August 12. St. Catherine School is one of three schools in the Edmonton Catholic Schools district that offer the year- round schooling calendar. Students returned to school in mid-August but will enjoy a two-week fall break in October and a two-week spring break in March. About 100 schools in Canada follow the year-round schooling calendar. The calendar provides more continuous learning for students, particularly in reading and math, than the traditional calendar. YUET CHAN Your views . Teacher workload 3 On summer conference Initial report released The provincial framework agreement (PFA) between teachers and the Alberta government is in effect. Key components of the PFA were designed to relieve work- load concerns that inhibit teachers’ core work with students. A preliminary review of Alberta Education–initiated tasks was conducted and a report sent to the Alberta Teachers’ Associa- tion on June 28. See WORKLOAD on page 4 Teachers Albertans don’t support Workload issues are very real, 5 privatizing public education Q&A, page 2 In the recent Alberta budget, millions of dollars were devoted to funding private ATA Gold Medals in Education, education, even though there appears page 4 to be very little public support for this. The Sheldon Chumir Foundation asked Albertans about their vision of public Important EI news, page 5 education in recent consultations in nearly a dozen communities. ATA News through the years, See VIEWPOINTS on page 3 page 6 Teachers.ab.ca—What’s online? • School Board Budget Tracker Alberta cut $14.5 million from school board budgets, even as 11,000 new students are expected to enter the system—our online tracker shows projected funding cuts and increases in enrolment. • Beginning Teacher Resources Getting Started: A Checklist for Beginning Teachers • Diversity—Making It Work Register for the 2013 Substitute Teachers’ Conference, Publication Mail Agreement #40065477 October 18(eve)–19, Calgary The ATA News, August 27, 2013 ❚ 3 The Alberta Teachers’ Association, as the professional organization of teachers, promotes and advances public education, safeguards standards of professional practice and serves as the advocate for its members. ATANEWS Editor-in-Chief: Jonathan Teghtmeyer Copy Editors: ATA Editorial Staff Albertans don’t Managing Editor: Raymond Gariépy Advertising Manager: Janet Halberg August 27, 2013 Volume 48, Number 1 Designer: Yuet Chan Business Manager: Kim Dewar support privatizing A new year and a fresh start public education Newspaper readership and literacy are important Research suggests that media choices vieWPointS EDITORIAL are driven more by content or readers’ interests than by format. Given this, Kelly Ernst Jonathan Teghtmeyer foundations of a healthy society and they nurture people who are interested in specific content will look for it in all media. social engagement, such as active citizenship and voter The interests of the ATA and the The following op-ed was published in April by the Sheldon Chumir Foundation for teaching profession are best served Ethics in Leadership. Minor changes have been made to spelling and punctuation by engaging members in a variety of in accordance with ATA style. elcome back to a new school year participation. Showing leadership on reading in all its forms media—electronic and print. Over the Wand a refreshed ATA News. past few years, the ATA has improved the recent Alberta budget, millions of dollars were devoted to funding Just as many teachers are likely to must be part of our role as teachers. its web presence by introducing Twit- In private education, even though there appears to be very little public sup- do over the summer, we’ve reflected ter, Facebook and YouTube pages. This port for this. The Sheldon Chumir Foundation asked Albertans about their vision on our practice, which has resulted in a fall, we’ll introduce a Pinterest page of public education in recent consultations in nearly a dozen communities. A new approach to communicating news about teachers and more. is declining, though, I believe it’s and push notifications on our iPhone majority of Albertans surveyed said that they did not support spending public Improving Communications application. It stands to reason, there- to members. As editor-in-chief, I’ve heard from important for teachers to express dollars on private education. Why does the provincial government continue to The first issue of the ATA News was published in February 1967. Featured here teachers who say it’s time to cease concern for a diminution of printed fore, that the ATA will continue to This issue of the ATA News has a transfer public dollars to private education without a clear mandate to do so? is an excerpt from the inaugural editorial by Tom McConaghy, ATA News editor. printing a newspaper. Some teach- resources, especially in light of sta- improve its print publications as well. new look and layout, as well as a re- According to Alberta Education’s funding manuals, base funding for private vised approach to content. Much like ers echoed a similar sentiment in our tistics from literacy organizations Redesigning the ATA News ensures education is up to 70 per cent of public funding per student. The 2013 Alberta his is the first issue in our new look for ATA publications. The purpose of this the mission statement put forth in ATA News reader survey conducted that indicate a general decline in the that the print version remains as rel- budget allocated $206 million toward private education, a 5.1 per cent increase Tpublication is to bring to our members a news medium noted for its brevity 1967 by editor Tom McConaghy in the in advance of the redesign. No doubt population’s literacy skills. Newspaper evant, interesting and user-friendly and readability. … from the previous year. Budget projections show that the allotment for private inaugural issue of the ATA News, we’re many members remember the infa- readership and literacy are important as possible for our readers. We’ll If this tabloid is to be a success then we must have your cooperation. Since we education will increase by 16 per cent over the next 3 years to $226 million. focusing on creating “a news medium mous debate regarding the future of foundations of a healthy society and continue to focus on readability and plan to highlight activities of teachers, Association news, and educational news The rationale offered for increasing support for private education is to keep noted for its brevity and readability” the ATA News during the 2008 Annual they nurture social engagement, such visual appeal. And, as always, we’re in general, we will need a great deal of copy and photographs (black and white up with a 5 per cent enrolment increase from last year. This is misleading. The (see “Improving Communications,” Representative Assembly. Since then, as active citizenship and voter partici- interested in hearing from you. glossies or negatives). If you are doing something in the classroom that would page 3). the Association and I personally have pation. Showing leadership on reading Thanks for reading. ❚ total private student population has only increased 4 per cent from 2003. Private be of interest to other teachers, tell us about it. The front page has a redesigned undertaken research into our mem- in all its forms must be part of our role enrolment isn’t soaring: there is simply a greater proportion of private students Please send us your reactions (good or bad) to this first issue. We will then be banner, features more graphic ele- bers’ media habits. as teachers. I welcome your comments—contact now receiving public funding—from 72.6 per cent in 2003 to 96.7 per cent today. in a better position to plan the next two issues which will be published before ments and introduces teasers linked The ATA News survey we conducted Although newspaper readership me at [email protected]. The public system—comprising all Catholic separate and public school divi- the end of June. to content inside the newspaper. We earlier this year found strong support may be declining, it’s unlikely to die sions—experienced an annual enrolment increase of more than 2.7 per cent last Write your letter today! ❚ hope you’ll like the two-page editorial for maintaining the print edition: 85 completely. People are not disposing year. Yet the funding increase to the public system was not proportional at 0.76 spread (pages 2 and 3) and our re- per cent of respondents said they carte blanche of certain media formats per cent in the coming year and just over 6 per cent in three years. vamped back-page feature. Of course, read all or most of each issue of the in favour of others; instead, they are Is the disproportionate increase in public dollars for private education National averages of we’ll maintain your favourite pieces— ATA News. diversifying. People consume media in justifiable? Q&A, labour news, Moot Points, news Even if print newspaper readership a variety of formats, including print. Does the provincial government even have a mandate to support the already back-to-school spending generous funding of private education in Alberta? If not, then public dollars should not be funding private education. Even if there is broad public support for more publicly funded private education, to what degree should public dollars $428 fund private interests? From Fort McMurray to Lethbridge and points in between, more than 500 Workload issues are very real Albertans gave the same message: government funding should go to public $362 education systems, full stop.