Thursday, March 21, 2013
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Falling hemlines
Praise for an ailing Klein
Designers thinking pink, ladylike, oversized and fur — lots and lots of fur — for fall fashion PAGE 31
Words of support for Ralph Klein pour in amid reports his health is deteriorating PAGE 3
hero of the silver screen even as a young dude, david bowie was contributing songs and music to the movies. metro looks at some of the diamonds and the dogs PAGES 26 & 27
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‘Not a good deal for students’: School board Rejection. Calgary School Board turns down third provincial contract for Alberta teachers
Going on a Walkabout
Ald. John Mar, right, takes a stroll through Bankview with longtime area resident Terry MacKenzie as part of a pilot project aimed at strengthening Calgary communities by tailoring city services to the needs of the people who live there. Story, page 6. ROBSON FLETCHER/METRO
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Calgary public school trustees rejected a tentative contract proposal for Alberta’s teachers Wednesday, joining a growing body of opposition to the deal. The verdict, made public Wednesday after a Calgary Board of Education private meeting Tuesday, had the potential to throw a heavier wrench into efforts to solidify an agreement for 35,000 instructors in the province. “Based on our analysis, we conclude this is not a good deal for students,” reads a prepared statement from Calgary Board of Education chair Pat Coch-
rane. Reached later in the day, Cochrane listed a new “exceptions” committee that would give teachers the ability to seek a third-party review of decisions made by teachers and superintendents as well as potential hidden costs in the contract as top concerns. “To be honest, the agreement isn’t clear enough to even understand — right now no one can tell us what the costs may be,” Cochrane said. The province already committed to a zero per cent funding increase for school boards over the next three years in its budget released earlier this month. The CBE has said any freeze in funding actually amounts to a cut, as they must continue to compensate instructors moving up the salary grid.
Edmonton’s public school board, the second-largest in the province behind only the CBE, rejected the contract Tuesday. Education Minister Jeff Johnson said Wednesday he was surprised with the verdicts and planned to follow up with trustees in the coming days. “I am not sure what they object to,” he said. “The deal is substantively the same as the proposal of Feb. 20, with the exception it is less money for them — it is less costly for them.” Johnson was referring to a one per cent cash incentive for teachers that would have been funded by boards if teachers had signed the February deal. But Alberta Teachers’ Association executives unanimously rejected it. Jeremy Nolais/Metro With files from Ryan Tumilty