A shared commitment to our classrooms

By Lethbridge Herald on August 9, 2025.

Nathan Neudorf
MLA Lethbridge East

As families across Lethbridge prepare for the return to school, it’s a good time to reflect on the vital role education plays in shaping our communities — and the people who make it all possible: our teachers.

Over the past decade, the role of the teacher has changed dramatically. Today’s classrooms are more complex than ever. Teachers are not only responsible for delivering curriculum, but also for supporting students with a wide range of emotional, behavioral, and developmental needs. In many cases, they are asked to act as caregivers, mental health supports, and specialists in areas far beyond their original training.

This is a reflection of how much society has changed in the last few decades. It also raises an important question: how do we ensure our teachers are supported in a way that allows them to focus on their primary task — teaching?

The provincial government has taken meaningful steps to respond to these growing needs. In Lethbridge and across Alberta, we’ve invested in building new schools to reduce overcrowding and modernize learning environments. In Lethbridge alone, this includes three new elementary schools, two school modernizations, one modular classroom addition, and pre-planning funding to assess whether an older school should be modernized or replaced – with more on the way. We’ve also increased funding to hire more frontline staff — including teachers, educational assistants, and mental health professionals — to help meet the diverse needs of students. These are important investments, and they are making a difference.

But we know that funding alone isn’t enough.

Supporting teachers means taking a broader look at how we share responsibility for the well-being and success of our students. Teachers, parents, and government each bring a vital perspective to the table. We need to ask ourselves: what expectations are we placing on teachers? Are we giving them the tools, time, and support they need to meet those expectations? And how can we work together — across these three groups — to ensure that no one is left to carry the burden alone?

It’s one of the reasons why Alberta’s government is launching an action team to address classroom complexity and aggression — bringing together education leaders and experts to develop practical solutions that make schools safer and more inclusive for students and staff.

This is a moment to come together, have some hard conversations, and ask: how can we collaborate to move forward?

We all want the same thing: classrooms where students feel safe, supported, and inspired to learn, where they can prepare for a better future. That vision is only possible when we stand behind the people who make it happen every day.

Here in Lethbridge, we’ve seen what’s possible when communities come together to support education. Whether its parents volunteering in schools, local organizations offering after-school programs, or educators going above and beyond to reach every student — these are the stories that remind us what’s at stake, and what we can achieve when we work together.

Let’s use this moment to find solutions — not just as a government, but as a community. Let’s listen to our teachers, support our families, and build a system that reflects the shared values of care, respect, and opportunity for every child.

Because when we support our teachers and our families and work together, we support our future — and that’s something we can all stand behind.

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