PARENTS’ VOICES ARE NEEDED IN OCTOBER'S SCHOOL TRUSTEE ELECTIONS
The traditional school year is over, and the race for school board trustee is underway!
The October 20th election may seem plenty far away, but with the summer break followed immediately by the back-to-school rush, it will sneak up on us quickly.
Of course, the majority of students (and the majority of children of Alberta Parents' Union supporters) who attend residentially-assigned schools have their education affected by elected school board officials.
In fact, one of the major problems with the current crop of school board trustees is that they practice learned helplessness.
They don't exercise their proper authority and they allow Administration to run amok.
But as we've we’ve written about before - and will write again with more examples - school board trustees don’t only affect families in residentially assigned schools.
They also affect those who have opted for schools of choice, as well.
While education is a provincial responsibility, a preference for local control has led to the Government of Alberta delegating many responsibilities - including spending priorities and much of the social policy surrounding schools - to elected school trustees.
Many of the decisions parents most frequently come to us in anger over are made by elected school boards.
And we know that there's a shaky foundation underneath the crumbling facade we can see.
That's why we want to do more research into the management, transparency, and priorities of school boards.
We also have promised to survey trustee candidates in every ward in every school division in Alberta and present their answers publicly.
We did this with great success for the Calgary Catholic by-election, and are confident that parents all over the province will benefit from more information about trustee candidates.
Our commitment is to equip parents - as well as grandparents, taxpayers, and educators who support us - to make a difference in these school board elections.
How can we do that?
We can vote.
Turnout is much lower for municipal elections than it is for provincial and federal elections.
Even fewer people vote for school trustees, even if they're already at the polling station for mayor or council.
That means your vote - in particular, your informed vote - has a greater impact than you may think.
If you take the time to be informed about the issues and the positions of the candidates, which we hope to facilitate, then you can multiply your impact by helping friends and neighbours get informed too.
While engaging friends and neighbours in the process informally will multiply the impact of simply casting a well-researched vote yourself, you can increase your effectiveness even more by offering your time to a quality candidate's campaign.
Most candidates for school trustee don't have volunteers outside their immediate family.
With volunteers, quality candidates can connect with more voters and make sure they're engaged with the issues in time for the October 20th election.
And helping a candidate you support is easier than you might think.
We would like to offer training in grassroots advocacy that will give you the confidence to help a trustee candidate of your choice.
Of course, if you simply cannot find a trustee candidate you can support in your area, you could perhaps run yourself!
We refuse to be like far too many school boards and wallow in learned helplessness.
We can make a difference for Alberta students, together.
If we keep re-electing school board trustees who refuse to plan, prioritize, and fight for students, we're sending the message that mediocrity is acceptable.
If you, like so many of us, are not satisfied with the status quo in education, then sign up to volunteer, and we may announce a training session in your area: