AlbertaParentsUnion
At last month’s election, Nathan Ip, an Edmonton Public School Board Trustee, was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
Now, EPSB is recommending not holding a by-election to fill the vacancy and, once again, the school board is trying to defend this decision by saying that a by-election would cost too much.
I say “once again” because this is fast becoming an all-too-predictable pattern for school boards across Alberta.
In February, we filled you in on three school boards that were planning on going three or more years without their full complement of democratically elected school board members.
Had the vacancies instead been for City Councillors (or even County Councillors in tiny districts), a by-election would have been legally required.
But the law is written in such a way that a vacancy on a school board does not require a by-election - even though many school trustees in large cities represent more people than Councillors do in smaller centers!
This needs to be fixed because, when it comes to politics, democratic accountability is the only accountability we have!
If Nathan Ip decides to quit as an MLA next week, his constituents in Southwest Edmonton would get to vote to pick his replacement as their MLA.
So, why shouldn’t his constituents in Southwest Edmonton get to vote to pick his replacement as their school trustee?
School trustees are the only elected officials in Alberta who can abandon their role with almost a full term remaining, without triggering a by-election.
The Alberta government should amend the law to remove this loophole and ensure that all parents across Alberta can have the representation they deserve.
If you agree that Parents Deserve School Trustee By-Elections, please sign our petition.
Jeff ParkExecutive DirectorAlberta Parents’ Union
Its hard to believe that we are now just days away from the election and education has not, as yet been a major issue. The Alberta Parents Union addresses education in their latest email (below).
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The election is just around the corner and, three weeks into the campaign, education has suddenly become a hot topic.
That’s because it was recently revealed that three current Alberta NDP candidates advocate for the complete elimination of the Catholic school system.
Now, whether your kids are enrolled in a public school, a Catholic school, or some other type of education, this is an incredibly disturbing development, as our system of school choice relies on parents respecting, appreciating, and understanding the value of all different types of education.
We can’t credibly argue that some groups should have the right to school choice but not others, simply based on what religion they follow - that would undermine the principle of pluralism in education.
Yet, that’s exactly what these three NDP candidates are doing.
Nathan Ip, the NDP candidate for Edmonton-Southwest, is a current Edmonton School Board Trustee and, as a Trustee, he has repeatedly called for the elimination of the Catholic system.
He pushed for the Edmonton Public School Board to take on this position - a position so extreme that even the NDP’s own former Education Minister rejected it, citing the fact that this kind of school choice is constitutionally protected.
Cathy Hogg, the NDP candidate for Cypress-Medicine Hat, went one step further and was actually the head of an entire campaign by the Public School Boards' Association of Alberta to abolish separate schools.
The “Together for Students” campaign that she led promoted “One Public System” as their number one priority, which aimed to “promote the formation of a single, public inclusive education system in Alberta.”
Jaelene Tweedle, the NDP candidate for Red Deer-North, charged that charter schools erode the quality of public education and divide communities.
She also said she’d rather see “one world-class system” than a variety of education choices.
Of course, that’s a false dichotomy.
Having one single government system doesn’t mean it’s world-class.
In fact, we know that all the evidence shows the opposite.
A single, top-down, government-mandated system leads to worse outcomes, while education choice helps promote a world-class, high-quality system that meets the needs of all students.
That’s because, as parents recognize, students are not one-size-fits-all, so their education can’t be either.
Every child deserves an education tailored to their unique needs.
That’s why the choice of Catholic (and Francophone) education is guaranteed in our constitution.
Education issues also came up in last week’s Leaders’ Debate (which you can watch here).
Danielle Smith and Rachel Notley were asked: “How specifically is your party going to address the increased enrolment, teacher burnout, increased class sizes and complexity in Alberta school classrooms?”
Smith focused on the disruption in classrooms over the last three years and how that contributed to teacher burnout and complicated education in classrooms.
She said the UCP is funding supports to recover from social anxiety and mental health issues, which students need stability to avoid.
She also noted that Rachel Notley had had an opportunity to address class sizes, but when her NDP government tried to do so, their policies were so poorly implemented that government auditors couldn’t even tell where the money went, never mind whether the spending was effective.
Rachel Notley responded by saying: “We now have the most crowded classrooms in the country. That was not the case when we left office, but it is the case now.”
But, again, the NDP’s Class Size Initiative spent $3.4 billion only to see class sizes increase rather than decrease.
Now, don’t get us wrong, class sizes do matter for student achievement in the youngest grades, but most studies find no effect by the high school grades.
If we had unlimited resources, we could invest in class sizes and teachers and everything else.
But, since we have limited resources, we should invest in the things that have the most impact.
And even in elementary, the effect of class sizes is dwarfed by the effect of the very best teachers!
Funnily enough, school choice - the one thing the NDP don’t want to invest in - is actually proven to lead to smaller class sizes, a better quality of education, and lower costs, all at once!
It’s also great for teachers, for the same reason that lots of different employers, rather than a single monopoly employer, is good for any employee.
In fact, pretty much the only people school choice is bad for are teachers' unions, who lose control when parents and students have more choice.
This is why the Alberta Parents’ Union is so important!
We have to join our voices together to make sure decision-makers hear that we parents are the real experts in our own children.
Jeff ParkExecutive Director
One of the main beliefs of the Alberta Parents Union is the right of school choice. What follows is the Alberta Parents Union latest commentary on the issue.
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The Legislative Assembly of Alberta has wrapped up, and the focus is now shifting to the election.
But I want to fill you in on something that we were keeping an eye on, that everyone else missed.
During the last session, NDP MLA Nicole Goehring introduced the following motion:
Be it resolved that the Legislative Assembly
(a) recognize that Alberta has been acknowledged for having a world-class public education system;
(b) oppose any efforts to create a privatized, two-tier education system; and
(c) oppose the use of vouchers for education, similar to those used in the United States.
The motion wasn't debated because time ran out.
But there’s nothing stopping Ms. Goehring from re-introducing the motion after the election, or even implementing it should the NDP form government.
So, let’s get to the motion itself, and discuss all the ways in which it would be bad for the very kids she is attempting to help.
First, she says Alberta has a world-class public education system.
We agree!
Alberta has one of the very best education systems in the world - 3rd in reading, 3rd in science, 8th in math!
But Alberta has a world-class education *because* of school choice and pluralism in our education system.
This isn't just our opinion - it’s been proven, consistently, by empirical research.
Of 28 peer-reviewed academic studies on this topic, 25 show that school choice - including vouchers - is not only good for the families who send their kids to a school of choice, but also improves test scores at public schools!
Of the remaining three studies, one found no change, while only two showed negative effects, and one of those was from Indiana, which has one of the most regulatorily onerous voucher systems in the world.
Second, Ms. Goehring attempts to fearmonger with the phrase "two-tier education".
But two-tier education is actually what the NDP’s education policies would create.
The Ontario education system, for example, is a perfect example of the kind of two-tier education system the NDP would introduce.
In Ontario, funding doesn’t follow the child to the school of their choice.
This means that only those who can afford to pay all their education taxes *and* pay again for private education, or those who can afford to buy an expensive house in a good school zone, have education choice.
Meanwhile, any Ontario family who can’t afford that is left stuck with no choice.
The reality is that those who are well-off will always have school choice.
The beauty of having funding follow the child is that it provides every other family with that same choice.
Suddenly, instead of only the wealthy being able to afford school choice, everyone can.
In summary, the NDP believes that school choice policies that ensure everyone has equal access to school choice is a “two-tier” system, but that their policy, where the rich can have school choice while everyone else can’t, is not a “two-tier" system.
Strange.
Finally, Ms. Goehring also tries to fearmonger to make it sound like school vouchers are an "American-style" education system.
It's true that many US states have adopted new systems in which the money follows the child - to wild success.
But the idea is also tremendously popular worldwide.
Norway, Sweden, Spain, France and more, all have robust voucher systems, while school choice is a constitutional right in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Ireland!
We think that Alberta needs to expand education choice, not restrict it, and that our kids benefit from choice.
One of the things that’s unique about the Alberta Parents’ Union is that we advocate for improved education quality and choice in every single education type in Alberta:
- Public Schools
- Catholic Schools
- Francophone Schools
- Alternative Program Schools
- Charter Schools
- Independent Schools
- Funded Home Education
- Unfunded Home Education
That's why we want to take some time to explain all these types of education, and - at the same time - hopefully, dispel some of the myths and misconceptions about how certain schools are allowed to operate in Alberta.
So here it is - your one-stop-shop explainer of Alberta’s school choice landscape!
Earlier this month, the Alberta Institute was very pleased to be involved in helping to launch a brand new grassroots school choice organization in Alberta.
We were very pleased to do so because education is one of the most important policy areas of responsibility of a provincial government.
The Alberta Parents’ Union is a new organization of Alberta parents advocating for the best possible education for all Alberta students - whether that be public, separate, francophone, alternative, charter, independent, or home education.
It's an organization made up of parents from all across the province, working to ensure that every student in Alberta has the opportunity to access a broad array of choice in education.
As part of the organization's launch activities, they are organizing a series of events right across Alberta.
They've already held seven events in Cochrane, Taber, Lethbridge, Pincher Creek, Strathmore, High River, and Calgary, but they have 15 more events scheduled already.
If you're near any of the following locations, we highly recommend you go along and get involved:
Drumheller - TONIGHT, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Didsbury - June 2nd, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Rocky Mountain House - June 3rd, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Edmonton - June 4th, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Register Here
High Level / La Crete - June 7th, TBD
Peace River - June 8th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Grande Prairie - June 9th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Edson - June 10th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Red Deer - June 11th, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Register Here
Camrose - June 13th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Grassland - June 14th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Fort McMurray - June 15th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Wainwright - June 16th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Brooks - June 17th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Medicine Hat - June 18th, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Register Here
Living in Alberta, we are lucky enough to have some of the best education choices in the world, but we can't afford to take that choice for granted, and we can always work to do better.
Anyone working on that mission has our support, and I encourage you to give them yours too!
Regards,
Peter McCaffreyPresidentAlberta Institute
#AlbertaParentsUnion #grassrootsschoolchoiceorganization #calendarofevents
As you’ve hopefully heard by now, the Alberta Parents’ Union officially launched last month and, as part of our launch activities, we’re holding a series of events across the province.
So far, we've held events in Cochrane, Taber, Lethbridge, Pincher Creek, Strathmore, High River, Calgary, Drumheller, Didsbury, Rocky Mountain House, and Edmonton, and we have 11 more events scheduled already (see below!).
We are very excited about the future of education in Alberta, and we’d like to work with you to build a great organization that can represent parents, advocate for students, and work to improve education in our great province.
One of the issues parents have brought up most often at our events so far is the issue of school choice.
At a basic level, school choice is the idea that parents and students should determine which schools students attend, rather than students being allocated to specific schools by the government based on where they live.
But, school choice doesn't only apply to the idea of getting to choose which school to attend - it also applies to what type of education is available to be chosen from.
Types of education include public, separate, francophone, alternative, charter, independent, or home education, and specific schools within each type may have their own special focus too.
Alberta has a good selection of school choice already, but there are ways the system could be improved.
School vouchers would help ensure choice is maximized for all, by ensuring that families have the ability to choose from a wide array of schools offering these different types of education and focuses.
In a school voucher system, rather than schools receiving bulk funding directly from the government, each student is allocated a voucher that represents their share of the government funding, and the government funding then follows the student to whichever school they choose to attend.
This isn't some hypothetical idea either.
School voucher systems are already in place in a number of countries, and in a variety of different systems, right around the world, and they're working.
Opponents of school voucher programs argue that these systems encourage stratification and separate families with more wealth and means from lower-income families, but this is only true in places where the number of vouchers available is limited.
Many jurisdictions get around this problem by allocating limited spots in voucher schools by using a lottery system so that access to these spots is determined by chance, rather than by wealth or motivation of the parents.
A better solution, of course, would be to simply expand the voucher programs so that all students could benefit from the program.
School voucher systems result in better outcomes for students across the board, on everything from higher test scores in math and reading, to better social outcomes.
If anything, it's the current system that encourages stratification and inequality, as children from wealthy families can afford to pay extra to go to higher-performing private schools, while those less well off are stuck attending lower-performing government-run schools.
Living in Alberta, we are lucky enough to have some of the best education choices in the world, but we can't afford to take that choice for granted, and we can always work to do better.
Giving every student, regardless of family wealth or income, the ability to attend a higher-performing school would be one of the single best policy reforms the government could implement to reduce inequality and improve the lives of all children.
If you'd like to hear more about the school choice issue, and many other education issues, please consider attending one of our upcoming events:
High Level - June 7th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Peace River - June 8th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Grande Prairie - June 9th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Edson - June 10th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Red Deer - June 11th, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Register Here
Camrose - June 13th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Grassland - June 14th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Fort McMurray - June 15th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Wainwright - June 16th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Brooks - June 17th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Register Here
Medicine Hat - June 18th, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Register Here
If you can't make it to one of these events don't worry, we'll be holding more events soon!
I look forward to meeting you all.
Regards,
Jeff ParkExecutive DirectorAlberta Parents' Union
P.S.
The Alberta Parents' Union runs entirely on donations from parents like you. Please consider joining the APU for $10 a month or, alternatively, making a one-off contribution to our efforts.
#AlbertaParentsUnion, #schoolchoice, #vouchervoucher programs voucher programs voucher programs programs
The Alberta Parents' Union education tour is coming Edmonton!
As you’ve hopefully heard by now, the Alberta Parents’ Union officially launched last month and, as part of our launch activities, we’re holding a series of events across the province.
The Alberta Parents’ Union is an organization of Alberta parents advocating for the best possible education for all Alberta students - whether that be public, separate, francophone, alternative, charter, independent, or home education.
We are parents (and also grandparents, guardians, and even some teachers) of K-12 students all across our province who believe in education choice, and the important role parents have to play in their children's education.
We are very excited about the future of education in Alberta, and we’d like to work with you to build a great organization that can represent parents, advocate for students, and work to improve education in our great province.
So, please come and join us tonight at our event in Edmonton this Saturday.
The event is completely free and everyone is welcome - whether you’re a parent, grandparent, teacher, or a taxpayer with an interest in our education system.
There will also be ample opportunity for discussion, feedback, networking, and questions.
So, no matter what type of school or education your child is in, come along, bring a friend, meet like-minded parents, and get to know the Alberta Parents’ Union team!
Where: Norwood Legion, 11150 82 St NW, Edmonton AB, T5B 2V1
When: Saturday, June 4th from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
(Parents have hectic schedules - we get it! So, if you need to arrive late or leave early, that's okay.)
RSVP:
The event is free, so no ticket is required, but please RSVP here on our website if you're planning to attend, so we can have a rough idea of numbers:
| RSVP |
See you Saturday!
Regards,
Jeff and the Alberta Parents’ Union team