Phendrana Drifts

Graham Thompson once called the teacher's unfunded liability unsexy, or something like that - the stuff only policy wonks (and of course the teachers themselves) would pay attention. I guess that makes me a policy wonk, because I follow the issue with rapt attention.

Today Premier Ed Stelmach and the Alberta Teachers Association announced a positive step towards solving this $6.4 billion issue. What's good about it? Well, first the previously announced $25 million is no longer a ploy to divide the teachers. Second good move - the ATA is coming to the table. A crucial step to getting the problem solved.

And this problem needs to be solved - we can't call ourselves debt free until we settle the two-thirds that is assumed by the Government of Alberta. And I don't think we will attract the calibur and number of teachers we need until a solid plan is in place that doesn't punish newcomers to the profession.

A $6.4 billion issue doesn't have a handy solution just sitting, ready for implementation. Even in Alberta, that kind of money isn't just lying around in bags in a Scrooge McDuck-like safe. Not even the $4.3 billion we owe to the liability. As for the $2.1 billion assumed by teachers, it's hard to come up with that kind of cash when you're a junior high teacher. Even more difficult to wrap our heads around is the fact that this isn't really money for education per se - paying it off won't reduce our classroom size, make our teachers more productive, or necessarily make our children any smarter. But I believe it is an issue we need to put behind us.

The first step is done - the political will to solve the problem exists. Despite a decade of huge surpluses and a steady stream of accomplishments, this was left for the future to deal with. The second step - getting the right heads together in a room - is now done too. Now let's see what those heads come up with.

Labels: alberta politics, teachers

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