CBE’s high-level athletic program draws criticism

‘Regular kids’ can’t afford $1,500 fee and transport costs, says parent advocate

Teens who love sports, whether they’re just learning or are already elite athletes, are being invited to register from across the city for a new high-performance athletic program at Bowness High School.

But the announcement comes on the heels of criticism the Calgary Board of Education faced only a week ago around alternative programming, and confirming transportation fees won’t be rebated for students who choose programs beyond their designated school.

And advocates for public education are asking why the CBE is offering “high-level” physical education only for students willing to pay the $1,500 annual fee for the new Bowness program.

“This is not public education, and it is not the job of public education to provide elite programs like this,” said Barb Silva, spokeswoman for Support Our Students student advocacy group.

“Do they really think that regular kids, living around that school, will be able to pay for this program? Regular kids will not be represented here.

“And kids who are already playing elite sports, are also probably not from average families, with average incomes.”

The CBE announced the new “High Performance Athlete Development Pathway” at Bowness High School Tuesday, giving students an opportunity to pursue what officials called “high level athletics,” including day trips to the mountains, Canada Olympic Park or the Olympic Oval to try new sports. Students in the program will have to pay $1,500 annually to offset the costs of the field trips along with high-level teachers and coaches.

Officials said “the pathway” is recognized by the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee, Own the Podium, The Canadian Sport Institute Calgary, and several National Sport Organizations, with athletes like Olympic speedskater and goldmedallist Catriona Le May Doan on hand to promote Thursday’s open house.

“High school is an age when so many young men and women drop out of sports, whether it’s because they lack the confidence or they feel like they just don’t fit in.

“This pathway will allow these kids to learn sports and continue to play sports ... so they can stay healthy not just physically, but emotionally and mentally too.”

But students who live beyond the boundary defining Bowness High School as their designated program will be expected to access their own transportation, which could mean an additional cost of up to $700 a year for public transit, or $70 a month for a Calgary Transit youth bus pass.

Tuesday’s announcement comes one week after the CBE confirmed the province’s Bill 1 legislation will only provide a rebate of $549 to high school students attending their designated high school and who live further than 2.4 km away.

Parents criticized the CBE, saying that while the system continues to promote and offer more alternative programs to keep inner city schools open, they are making those same programs more difficult to access.

Principal Jana Macdonald added Bowness is a welcome environment for a new program after the inner city school lost hundreds of students to the recently-built Robert Thirsk High School in Arbour Lake. While the new athletic pathway hopes to welcome up to 50 students in its first year this fall, Macdonald says the school could ultimately have room for more than 600 new students.

But Silva argued Bowness is only trying to compete with private athletic programs, like the nearby Edge School just west of the city. Instead, she said, a public system should work towards equal opportunities for all students in physical education, whether they can afford a $1,500 fee or not.

“Why not focus on offering a quality, public education that can be accessed by everyone, in all schools,” Silva said.

“We have schools which don’t have safe playgrounds for kids to play on, that parents are fundraising for. Yet we’re creating programs like this, for the elite kids who can afford them.”

The CBE is also encouraging a system that could see some kids riding public transit for more than hour each way just to get to their uniquely programmed school, she added.

Macdonald explained students who are already elite athletes, and won’t need to access field trips to experience a wide range of sports, won’t face as high a fee, paying only for training they require, like coaching at the school’s impressive weight and fitness facility.

Athletes who require a flexible schedule because they need to travel to compete, can also work with teachers and administrators to book classes at convenient times, or access lectures that are recorded and provided online by instructors.

Bowness High School recently underwent a multi-million dollar modernization, upgrading art, science and fitness facilities along with an expansion renovation.