Pembina Hills is preparing to close Alberta Distance Learning Centre (ADLC) after the end of the 2020-2021 school year. While ADLC continues to provide student instruction and teacher support services to Alberta this year, the scheduled termination of the Service Agreement with the province is expected to impact 24% of the Pembina Hills teaching staff and 11% of the support staff. Pembina Hills is taking steps to mitigate the effects on our employees, our students, and our communities.

How are employee reductions managed?

Teaching staff assigned to ADLC are Pembina Hills employees and like all teachers, they belong to the local chapter of the Alberta Teachers Association (ATA). Similarly, ADLC support staff are also Pembina Hills employees. This means that the closure will impact more than just the employees assigned to ADLC. All our schools will be directly or indirectly impacted by the need for staff reductions caused by the closure of ADLC. Division leaders will manage staff reductions through a transparent, multi step process.

Staff reduction procedures are described in AP 40-19 – Employee Reduction. When natural attrition, such as retirement, does not achieve required reductions, division leaders work with school leaders to determine the necessary reductions, based on the following criteria:

• Specialization required by students or program needs – the primary consideration when considering workforce needs will be the effective operation of the various programs offered within the Division
• Employee training and experience – consideration will be made to match the employee’s training and experience to available positions where appropriate
• Notwithstanding specialized teaching assignments and needs, temporary or probationary contracts will be released first
• Time served in the Division – seniority based on years of service with Pembina Hills School Division will be considered if all other qualifications are equal

Revised business model for Vista Virtual School

Pembina Hills has revised the business model for our distance learning school, Vista Virtual School (VVS). If we can successfully entice increased distance education enrolments, more teachers will be required at VVS. This will increase the possibilities for teacher transfer, and will help to limit the number of surplus teachers.

Radio, television and internet ads have been used to inform Alberta families of the distance learning services provided by Vista Virtual School. The advertising campaign has been very successful and enrolment at VVS has increased. VVS has experienced extraordinary registration rates since mid-August and throughout September. These registrations come from all over the province.

Softening the impact

Currently more than one hundred Pembina Hills employees are assigned to ADLC, including teachers and support staff. Job losses cannot be avoided with the closure of ADLC, however we fully expect that the steps taken will reduce the impact on our schools and communities. We anticipate that most or all of our schools will see some different teachers joining their teams next year. While the teams may be different, we know that all division employees are committed to ensuring that our students have the very best learning experience possible.