Education groups alarmed by government's increased support of private schools
Release date: July 31, 2008
Four provincial educational associations have come together to express their alarm with the Alberta government's decision to substantially increase funding to exclusive private schools.
In 2008/09 private schools will receive an increase in funding of 22%, while Alberta's public, separate, and francophone schools will only receive a 4.53% increase. And, for the first time, private schools will get access to additional provincial funding , including annual operating and maintenance grants.
"Public dollars should go to fund public education - not private schools," said ASBA President Heather Welwood. "This decision is unfortunate. Any extra funding could be used to enhance early education programs so that more students graduate from high school and to fix and build desperately needed schools."
Although accountability measures for private schools will increase marginally with this announcement, they still fall well below that of public schools, noted the organizations. And while public schools are governed by elected trustees, private schools are just that - private. They simply do not have to follow the same rules.
"All parents in Alberta should have the choice of where their children should attend school but private schools can deny access to students and most parents pay substantial tuition fees, a luxury many Albertans can not afford. This decision encourages inequity in the education of children," says Trina Boymook, president of the Alberta School Councils' Association. "Albertans should be concerned that this decision did not involve any consultation. This suggests that the government is determined to put more public money into private education no matter what the public wants. This is very disturbing," she added.
The presidents of the Alberta School Boards Association, the College of Alberta School Superintendents, the Association of School Business Officials of Alberta, and the Alberta School Councils Association will be sending a joint letter to Premier Ed Stelmach expressing their concerns and requesting that he reconsider the decision to increase public funding for private schools.
There are 26,136 students in Alberta's 173 private schools and 550,324 students in Alberta's 1800 public schools. Public education includes Alberta's public, separate and francophone schools.
For more information contact:
Heather Welwood, President, ASBA at 1.780.812.1895.
David Anderson, Executive Director, ASBA at 1.780.910.8207.
Michele Mulder, Executive Director, ASCA at 1.780.983.5700.
Wayne Braun,Vice-President, ASBOA at 1.403.294.8340
Kath Rhyason, Executive Director, CASS at 1.780.719.3116.
The Alberta School Boards Association serves and represents all Alberta’s public, separate and francophone school boards.
