NDP vows to continue support for schools
Education Minister David Eggen said ensuring funding for Alberta’s growing student population is “not negotiable” as he touted on Tuesday his government’s recent $103-million education investment.
Despite a quarterly update this week that revealed the provincial deficit could swell as high as $6.5 billion this fall, Eggen said the province is committed to maintaining public services such as education.
“While we might look at the economic downturn and some of the numbers with consternation, I think it’s important to keep our eye on the ball,” Eggen said. “We will not waver in our commitment to not just defend education but to strengthen it across the province.”
With approximately 12,000 new students expected this fall, helping schools meet growing enrolment pressures is “not negotiable,” he added.
“I know that over the next year there are so many more students that will be either moving to Alberta or coming to school age, so I have to fulfil that responsibility,” he said.
Eggen’s comments came during a visit to St. Catherine Catholic School in Edmonton, where he touted the government’s recent funding injection for Alberta’s schools
The NDP government restored the education funding through an interim supply bill this spring, promising it would help school boards hire new teachers and maintain specialized learning programs.
At Edmonton Catholic Schools, the funding allowed the board to hire 41 new teachers as the district contends with an anticipated 1,300 new students this year.
At St. Catherine school, where 75 per cent of the student population is enrolled in the English-asa-second-language program, three new teachers were hired.
They will help keep class sizes smaller for English-language learners like 13-year-old Crispy Djonkou, who moved to Canada from Cameroon three years ago.
“My English is getting better now,” said Crispy, who was reading Roland Smith’s novel Peak, which is about a teenager who climbs Mount Everest.
Board chair Debbie Engel said the Catholic board has over 8,000 English-as-a-second-language students who require more one-onone attention.
“This funding was paramount,” Engel said.
At Edmonton Public Schools the funding boost helped hire an additional 67 teachers and 51 support staff, restored 20 inclusive learning positions and allowed the board to add six specialized consulting roles such as psychologists and reading specialists.
In Fort McMurray, the funding will keep class sizes steady, while in Grande Prairie it will allow the Catholic district to hire eight new teachers and eight education assistants, the government said. mibrahim@edmontonjournal.com twitter.com/mariamdena