School funding

It's spring, when the Alberta government demonstrates its commitment to public education by announcing funding increases that don't begin to cover real costs increases or inflation. It doesn't matter that the government will respond to reports of large class sizes and other problems with additional funds - still insufficient - in the fall, the damage is done. Spring is when school boards pass their budgets. Spring is when schools decide how many teachers they can keep, what courses they can offer, and set student time tables. Money allocated in the fall, perhaps in schools by spring, can alleviate crisis situations. However, it comes too late for the students. For the most part they are stuck with large classes and courses they didn't want or need. Core subjects may be taught in summer school, but the options which keep students in school will be missed.

Longer term, the government has promised smaller class size, minimum amounts of physical activity, mandatory second language instruction, and improved retention rates. Rather than fund these initiatives the Alberta government has made real cuts to education funding.

The biggest cut came when the government failed to fund increases in teacher salaries after agreeing to binding arbitration. Consequently, school boards have been forced to reduce the number of teachers to balance their budgets. Parents are being assured that class sizes won't exceed targets; but class sizes have increased. In addition, the variety of courses and classroom support have been reduced. Students who need extra help, students who need a course to graduate, and students wanting general interest courses are out of luck.

The government may have thought they could fix the funding problem by provoking a strike and legislating teachers back to work with an imposed contract, just like British Columbia. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has ruled imposed contracts unconstitutional. It is time for the Alberta government to stop playing games with teachers at the expense of public education and provide funding that matches their avowed commitment to educating Alberta's youth. They need to remember, an educated labour force is an Alberta Advantage that can be lost.

Labels: school funding education

- posted by Larry @ 7:36 p.m.