School boards gear up to put education on the provincial election agenda
Release date: February 20, 2001
School boards are mounting a concerted grassroots campaign to ensure MLA candidates understand the issues in education during the run-up to the provincial election and to gauge each candidate's commitment to education. School boards started working the hustings in late January, in anticipation of a Spring campaign, said Alberta School Boards Association President Lois Byers.
"It's not going to be glitzy - it will be trustees working hard, talking with all the candidates about what students in Alberta's schools need," said Byers. "Our goal is to have the new crop of MLAs arrive in Edmonton for the first day of the new legislature with a clear understanding of what Alberta students need to succeed."
The soft-touch campaign is focused on three clear messages about the need for additional dollars for education. School boards are collectively calling for:
- A 10 per cent increase in the per student grant for Kindergarten to Grade 3 students
- A 6 per cent increase in the per student grant for Grades 4 to 9 students
- A 6 per cent increase in CEU (credit enrolment unit) funding
For more detail about the key messages school boards will be conveying to MLA candidates go to http://www.asba.ab.ca/perspectives on the ASBA website.
For more information contact: Lois Byers, ASBA President at 1.780.632.7596.
The Alberta School Boards Association serves and represents all Alberta’s public, separate and francophone school boards.
