Alberta Teachers' Association

ATA
Full name Alberta Teachers' Association
Founded 1918
Members 39,300
Affiliation CTF
Key people Mark Ramsankar, president
Office location Edmonton, Alberta
Country Canada
Website www.teachers.ab.ca

The Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) is the union and professional association for the teachers of Alberta, Canada. It represents all teachers and teacher administrators in all schools in Alberta's public, separate and francophone school divisions. It also represents teachers in some charter and private schools. There are currently 43,500 members of the ATA. It is affiliated with other teacher organizations in Canada through the Canadian Teachers' Federation.

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.

History

The Alberta Teachers' Alliance was established during the First World War, a time when the teaching profession was at a very low ebb in Alberta. Faced with constant opposition from government and employees, teachers had no basic contractual rights, no guarantee of a minimum wage and no mechanism for appealing dismissals. In addition, they were generally treated poorly in the communities they served. What teachers learned during those difficult years was that being united and having a dedicated leadership could help them shape the future. The organizing zeal of John Walker Barnett, the first full-time general secretary-treasurer of the Alberta Teachers' Alliance, became the stuff of legend. Barnett's dedication to the profession was later recognized when the Association's Edmonton headquarters were named after him.

With the election of a new government in 1935 and the presence of a number of MLAs who were teachers, things began to improve. The Teaching Profession Act was passed in 1935, giving The Alberta Teachers' Association its legal foundation. However, what united teachers and became the moral basis for the new organization was the determination to have teaching recognized as a profession. Over the next 10 years, the government approved legislation giving teachers a process for appealing dismissals, a pension plan and the right to bargain collectively. In addition, the government established the university as the home for teacher preparation.

Past presidents

Years President
1917-19 George D Misener
1919-20 Thomas E A Stanley
1920-22 Hubert C Newland
1922-23 Charles E Peasley
1923-24 John E Somerville
1924-25 William W Scott
1925-26 Frederick Parker
1926-27 Alfred Waite
1927-28 Harry C Sweet
1928-29 Harry D Ainlay
1929-30 Arthur J H Powell
1930-31 Roland D Webb
1931-32 Cedric O Hicks
1932-33 Milton W Brock
1933-34 George A Clayton
1934-35 Edward J Thorlakson
1935-36 Gordon G Harman
1936-37 Eric C Ansley
1937-39 Milton E LaZerte
1939-41 Raymond E Shaul
1941-43 James A Smith
1943-45 Clarence Sansom
1945-57 Harold C Melsness
1947-48 Herbert E Smith
1948-49 Edgar T Wiggins
1949-51 Frederick J C Seymour
1951-53 Marian Gimby
1953-54 Lars Olson
1954-55 Frank J Edwards
1955-56 George S Lakie
1956-57 H J McKim Ross
1957-59 Inez K Castleton
1959-60 Richard F Staples
1960-61 Arthur D G Yates
1961-62 John A McDonald
1962-63 Hugh C McCall
1963-64 Thomas F Rieger
1964-65 L Jean Scott
1965-66 Malcolm W McDonnell
1966-67 Frank W Hoskyn
1967-68 Bernie T Keeler
1968-69 Arthur M Arbeau
1969-71 Ivan P Stonehocker
1971-72 Walter L Hughes
1972-74 Murray Jampolsky
1974-76 Patricia M English
1976-77 Halvar C Jonson
1977-82 K Mac Kryzanowski
1982-84 Arthur V R Cowley
1984-87 Nadene M Thomas
1987-90 Brendan D Dunphy
1990-93 Frances M Savage
1993-99 Bauni M Mackay
1999–2003 Larry Booi
2003–2009 Frank Bruseker
2009–2013 Carol Henderson
2013-Present Mark Ramsankar

Specialist Councils

The ATA features a range of specialist councils created to foster professional development of teachers interested in common curriculum or specialty areas. The current councils are:

External links

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