UCP imposing its will on education, health

One thing is already clear about next week’s Alberta budget — groups that haven’t already agreed with the UCP about what to do will have it done to them.

Education Minister Adriana Lagrange rolled out seismic changes to K-12 education funding Tuesday. They come with agreement from some school boards — although not all — but none from other players, including the Alberta Teachers’ Association.

There will be certainty in funding. Every board will learn its allotment in spring, not halfway through a school year.

School boards have wanted this for a long time. But what they will actually receive might be less welcome.

Although Lagrange says every board will receive more money, the overall funding envelope stays the same, at $8.223 billion.

Other reforms, especially in administration, are supposed to spring loose more cash for the classroom.

It all sounds a bit magical. Then there’s another thing called “a weighted moving average,” which bases funding on enrolment projections rather than the old method, a yearly head count of students.

This is a big shift.

Alberta, apparently, will be the only province that calculates funding this way.

One upshot seems to be that if enrolment drops — the trend in many rural schools — funding stays stable or even rises.

But if enrolment goes up, as it usually does in the big metro boards, the funding doesn’t quite keep pace.

Critics who say this is a play to the UCP’S enormous rural base won’t be far wrong.

Lagrange and her officials argue that the incremental costs of new students aren’t very high. They say these students can be dealt with by hiring one or two low-cost, entry-level teachers, rather than with full funding.

The province will also sharply cut the number of specific grants, from 36 to 15.

Lagrange said this doesn’t mean grants are abolished, just that they’re rolled into a simpler package, with less red tape.

Boards will also get specific funding that’s only for administration.

If a board spends a dollar more on bureaucracy, it will be docked the next year. Boards will not be allowed to take administration funding from other sources, but they’re welcome to use some of the designated funding for the classroom.

This is a complex, ambitious package that often seems more about accounting than education. The exact dollar signs won’t be known until Feb. 27, budget day. Much of it is sure to be extremely controversial.

It’s all premised on the UCP conviction, as yet unproven, that far better service can be produced with the same or less funding.

Health care is in for another big shift. As if to soften us up, on Wednesday the UCP will announce a $137-million upgrade to the Peter Lougheed Centre, including a new emergency ward.

But the dispute with doctors still simmers. Talks with a mediator broke down, and there’s little hope of revival before budget day.

And so, it’s likely the UCP will impose the main elements of its plan to trim compensation, which includes reduced funding for doctors who perform extra services for a stipend.

The government package may come with some concession to physician concerns about funding for patients with complex needs.

But there could also be a hard line against what the UCP calls an Alberta Medical Association “veto” over changes to fee schedules.

The UCP is dealing with a significant medical spending issue here. But it would be remarkable (almost magical) if the solutions don’t reduce the services doctors provide, and the number of doctors working in the province.

Another conservative government — the old PCS come to mind — might have let the budget pass without resolving the doctor conflict. This government will not.

Most budgets come with a round of later announcements to fill out details. This one is getting a heavy massage a week before it even arrives.

It’s a clear sign of just how controversial this budget will be, and how hard the government will fight to keep a grip on public opinion.