Schools across Alberta are preparing to close their doors while the province prepares to offer students and parents a home curriculum ahead of Monday’s expected provincewide teachers’ strike.
The province’s 51,000 teachers recently voted nearly 90 per cent to reject the government’s latest offer, leading to Monday’s strike deadline.
The offer included a 12 per cent pay hike over four years and a promise to hire 3,000 more teachers.
The province has also offered to cover the cost of covid shots for teachers.
However, Alberta Teachers Association President, Jason Schilling, has called the hiring offer “a drop in the bucket” compared the 5,000 teachers the ATA says is needed to align with its desired student-teacher ratios.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said on Thursday the province has already posted a curriculum online that parents can use to teach their children should teachers make good on their promise to walk out.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
In an interview, Nicolaides said it’s not fair that students would be forced to bear the brunt of the walkout, which would affect more than 700,000 students across 2,500 public, separate and francophone schools.
“That’s the primary reason why we put this tool kit together,” he said. “So that parents, if they are willing and able, can support their child’s continued academic progression and learning.”
The ATA says its members recognize a strike could inconvenience parents, but Schilling insists they are standing up for children.
“I’m hoping that (parents) are also putting pressure on the government to do right by their children,” he said.
Schilling said the ATA also is also looking into the possibility of offering online tool kits for students and parents.
So far the dispute appears deadlocked, with no new talks scheduled and both sides saying it’s up to the other to take the first step to resume negotiations.
Public school boards in Edmonton and Calgary have already sent notices to families, telling them that — barring an 11th-hour deal — classes will be paused beginning Monday and they are not to send their children to school.
Field trips, extracurricular activities and sports would also be cancelled.
Students have also been told to take valuables and personal belongings home with them ahead of Monday’s expected strike.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
