Catholic enrolment growing faster

Re. “Catholic school enrolment was inflated: Trustee; ‘Unfair’ decisions directed construction funds away from public board, Janz says,” March 9

This article alleges the Alberta government made “unfair” funding decisions that gave the Edmonton Catholic School District an unequally large share of school construction.

Alberta Education uses the following Sept. 30th enrolment numbers and these are funded students, not total students: Edmonton Catholic, 38,180 for 2016 compared with Edmonton Public’s enrolment of 88,103 in 2016. This shows a growth in 2016 of 4.5 per cent for Edmonton Catholic and 3.0 per cent for Edmonton Public. The numbers speak for themselves.

In our district the capacity is at 87 per cent with some schools at over 100 per cent. Alberta Education Capital projects provided have been appropriate (not excessive) because we are at 87-per-cent capacity.

The reference link in the article to an auditor general’s comment is a news article criticizing the Conservative government for not being realistic with the public about completion dates for several promised schools. There is no inference to Catholic education. The connection trying to be made against Catholic schools is erroneous.

A further reference link to the ethics commissioner is a news article that the commissioner was charging the thenminister for approving two school modular units in his constituency. These were not Catholic schools, so it would be a stretch to assume this supports the argument trying to be made in the article.

The reality, using independent and verifiable provincial enrolment, shows Edmonton Catholic Schools enrolment is growing at a faster pace than Edmonton Public. Laura Thibert, Board Chair, Edmonton Catholic Schools