January 7, 2008

Parkland Board of Trustees and Parkland Teachers’ Local 10 of the Alberta Teachers’ Association to support Provincial Memorandum of Agreement

(Stony Plain, Alberta...) Both the Parkland Board of Trustees and the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) plan to support the Provincial Memorandum of Agreement developed between the Alberta Government and the ATA on November 15, 2007.

“When teachers in the Parkland Teachers’ local vote on the Memorandum of Agreement on Thursday, January 10, all indications are that that our teachers will vote in favour of this agreement,” says Robert Twerdoclib, Local President. “We all realize it’s an agreement that allows our teachers to deliver outstanding education services under optimum teaching and learning conditions”

Dorcas Kilduff, Board Chair of the Parkland School Division says that the Board at a Special Meeting held on Monday 07 January 2008, ratified the Memorandum of Agreement “As we stated in our news release on December 6, (Parkland School Division Trustees adopt terms of Provincial Memorandum of Agreement between Alberta Government and Alberta Teachers’ Association) this agreement creates the right environment for everyone to move ahead clearly focused on the success and learning of our students.” We look forward,” she says, “to working with our teachers in continuing to provide a quality of education that our students, parents and communities have come to expect from us.”

The new agreement means the Parkland School Division enters into a revised collective agreement with the ATA, Local 10 for a term from September 1, 2006 to August 31, 2012. Part of the agreement includes government funding for future wage increases. In accordance with the provincial deal, a Memorandum of Agreement between the Parkland School Division and the ATA was reached last week which incorporates the provisions of the Provincial Memorandum of Agreement into the local collective agreement. The details of this agreement will be available once the entire process is complete, including the report of the arbitrator that was appointed last year.

“Parkland teachers are pleased to be working with a newly elected Board that is fair and reasonable and we also want to acknowledge the leadership of the local MLAs in their steadfast work to improve relations between teachers and our employer”, says Twerdoclib.

“I know I speak for all Trustees and Senior Administration when I acknowledge the Minister of Education and his Ministry’s leadership and vision in working with the ATA to develop such a groundbreaking agreement,” says Kilduff.

For further information:

Leslie Beard (780) 952-2033
Robert Twerdoclib (780) 963-5898