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Teachers demand government to stick to deal

Alberta teachers attending their annual convention in Calgary have passed resolutions to preserve jobs and to demand the Alberta government honour its commitment to a five-year wage deal.

CALGARY — Alberta teachers attending their annual convention in Calgary have passed resolutions to preserve jobs and to demand the Alberta government honour its commitment to a five-year wage deal.

Members of the Alberta Teachers Association say they’ll try to persuade school boards not to cut staffing levels.

They say they’re worried about the long-term consequences of school boards being forced to dig into surpluses for teachers salaries.

Teachers say that could lead to larger class sizes, a loss of programs and a lack of service for special needs students.

Carol Henderson, the president of the association, says they’re concerned about education funding.

She suggests the province could be forcing school boards to make some tough decisions by refusing to pay for wage increases.

“We are very concerned about class sizes and about funding generally,” Henderson said. “The government has taken the view that they’re not going to fund teachers’ increases this fall, that they want boards to draw down their surpluses to do that.”

The teachers’ association is calling on Premier Ed Stelmach and Education Minister Dave Hancock to live up to the government’s promise to stay the course on a five-year wage deal.