PROTECTING EDUCATION
Edmonton public school trustees have repeated a call for the NDP to phase out provincial funding for private schools. Such requests are unfortunate, because they overlook Alberta’s strong tradition of school choice — a fact that Education Minister David Eggen acknowledges.
“We continue to support the critical role parents play in their children’s education, which includes their ability to choose the school they feel will best ensure their child’s success,” Eggen said in a written statement earlier this week.
Edmonton trustees also ignore the fact independent schools save the provincial government money. The bulk of private schools receive
70 per cent of the per student funding that a public school receives. And unlike public and charter schools, independent schools do not receive government funds for construction or renovations.
The motion urging Eggen to wean private schools off the public treasury passed 8-1, with only trustee Sherry Adams demonstrating the wisdom her colleagues apparently lack. Adams noted the five per cent of Alberta students who attend independent schools receive just two per cent of provincial education funding. That seems like a good deal for taxpayers.
Adams added that if public funding dried up, some private schools would be forced to close their doors, and education expenses would rise as pupils flowed into the public system.
Besides, the notion that private schools are elitist is a mischaracterization. The Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta observes that some institutions cater to students with physical and mental disabilities, students living in poverty and children in foster care.
Worryingly, Rachel Notley spoke of cutting off public funding for independent schools in 2014, a year before she became premier.
“Government dollars should not be going into private schools,” said Notley.
“They should be going into public schools. We would restructure funding that way, because we need to encourage more participation in our public education system, not less.”
The best way of fostering more participation and confidence in public schools is to ensure they offer a first-rate education with strong outcomes.
As some Calgary Board of Education trustees have recently lamented, that’s not always the case, especially when it comes to math instruction. Threatening to punish parents who pay taxes toward education, but only receive 70 cents on the dollar — and then dig into their pockets to come up with tuition — is no remedy to shortcomings in the public school system. Edmonton school trustees, and similar-minded politicians throughout the province, should be looking closer to home for a solution.