We are Alberta's public education advocates, fighting for the right of all children to an equitable and accessible public education system.
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Latest Advocacy News
October 13, 2022
Danielle Smith's School Vouchers will Decimate Public Education
Alberta's governing United Conservative Party chose Danielle Smith as their new leader on Oct. 6. Smith has a long record of antagonism towards public education among her other terrifying extremist positions. She wants to implement an American-style "school voucher system" which has already failed in the US. This would see private schools receive full subsidies while draining neighbourhood public schools of much-needed resources and support. We cannot let this proposal become a reality or we will lose our public education system as we know it.
“If this becomes public policy, it will mean the destruction of the public education system that has taken generations for Albertans to build,” Support Our Students Director Heather Ganshorn told PressProgress.
“It is a seismic shift away from building an equitable and accessible education system that aims to meet the needs of each and every child toward a dog-eat-dog, fend-for-yourself system."
Read more >>
“If this becomes public policy, it will mean the destruction of the public education system that has taken generations for Albertans to build,” Support Our Students Director Heather Ganshorn told PressProgress.
“It is a seismic shift away from building an equitable and accessible education system that aims to meet the needs of each and every child toward a dog-eat-dog, fend-for-yourself system."
Read more >>
September 1, 2022
Back-to-School: Beware 'Privatization Creep'
Students are heading back to school this week after 3 years of COVID instability compounded with decades of defunding and erosion of public education. Our OpEd for the Saskatchewan StarPhoenix was published today and we raise alarms about the threat of privatization creep. We call for removing public funds from private education especially after the surfacing of horrific abuse of students at private schools in Saskatchewan this summer.
Read OpEd >>>
Read OpEd >>>
July 18, 2022
Hot off the press:
"Populism, polarization and privatization in Alberta education"
An important article by SOS Research Director, Heather Ganshorn, was recently featured in the latest issue of Our Schools/Our Selves, an education journal published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
In this piece, Heather succinctly and clearly lays out the connections between right-wing populist politics, polarization, and privatization on Alberta education.
It outlines the sociopolitical forces at play that are accelerating their pressures to deconstruct public education, particularly in Alberta and how our situation mirrors what is happening elsewhere, namely such as in the USA.
In this piece, Heather succinctly and clearly lays out the connections between right-wing populist politics, polarization, and privatization on Alberta education.
It outlines the sociopolitical forces at play that are accelerating their pressures to deconstruct public education, particularly in Alberta and how our situation mirrors what is happening elsewhere, namely such as in the USA.
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July 8, 2022
Spotlight on: Even Larger Class Sizes
Support Our Students spoke to the press this week advocating for the province to restore class size data reporting and also to re-instate class size grant funding.
Spotlight on: Even Larger Class Sizes
Support Our Students spoke to the press this week advocating for the province to restore class size data reporting and also to re-instate class size grant funding.
RELEASE:
March 16, 2022
Support Our Students Calls for End of Charter School Experiment:
Pick a Lane As Fully Public or Private
Since their introduction in 1994, Alberta charter schools have received 100% per student funding of public dollars but have been granted different regulations than public school boards. Charter schools are not obligated to admit every applicant, and can deny entry based on entrance exams or other factors. Charter schools are also governed by closed entities that are not democratically elected by the population at large. As such, they are publicly funded but privately operated. Neither fully public nor fully private.
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Read more >>>
RELEASE:
January 31, 2022
Support Our Students calls on public, separate and francophone school boards to release proposed charter school notifications
In response to recent revelations that the Minister of Education has approved new charter school applications without public awareness or consultation, Support Our Students (SOS) Alberta delivered the attached letter last week to the boards of the public, separate and francophone school authorities of Alberta through the Alberta School Boards Association (ABSA). Our letter calls on them to make public any charter school notifications they are legally entitled to and to commit to leading public consultations in the future.
With the provincial government supporting charter school growth through the Choice in Education Act (Bill 15) which allows new charter school applications to bypass public school board adjudication, Albertans, more than ever, are in need of proactive leadership by Public, Separate and Francophone School Boards to protect our public education system. Section 24 of the Education Act still requires the Minister to at least notify school boards of proposed charter school applications. We need to leverage this remaining tool of public accountability to monitor diversion of public funds to the private charter system.
“It is imperative that the public be informed. We do not want our neighbourhood public schools where all children are welcome, to be taken over by special interest charter schools where only a select group have access. We call on school boards to provide transparency of charter applications to ensure broad public consultation can occur.” -Medeana Moussa, Executive Director of Support Our Students Alberta
Quick Facts:
In response to recent revelations that the Minister of Education has approved new charter school applications without public awareness or consultation, Support Our Students (SOS) Alberta delivered the attached letter last week to the boards of the public, separate and francophone school authorities of Alberta through the Alberta School Boards Association (ABSA). Our letter calls on them to make public any charter school notifications they are legally entitled to and to commit to leading public consultations in the future.
With the provincial government supporting charter school growth through the Choice in Education Act (Bill 15) which allows new charter school applications to bypass public school board adjudication, Albertans, more than ever, are in need of proactive leadership by Public, Separate and Francophone School Boards to protect our public education system. Section 24 of the Education Act still requires the Minister to at least notify school boards of proposed charter school applications. We need to leverage this remaining tool of public accountability to monitor diversion of public funds to the private charter system.
“It is imperative that the public be informed. We do not want our neighbourhood public schools where all children are welcome, to be taken over by special interest charter schools where only a select group have access. We call on school boards to provide transparency of charter applications to ensure broad public consultation can occur.” -Medeana Moussa, Executive Director of Support Our Students Alberta
Quick Facts:
- The UCP government’s Choice in Education Act (Bill 15) came into effect September 1, 2020. This legislation removed the requirement for charter school proposals to go through the local public school board, now the applications can go directly to the Minister of Education
- Bill 8 (2019) already removed the cap on charter schools (previously Alberta had a cap of 15 Charter School Authorities)
- Charter school operators are exempt from public board oversight and report directly to the ministry of Education
- Charter schools do not need to hire active union teachers or staff
- Charter schools receive 100% per-student instructional funding from government but are exempt from requiring open democratic elections for their governance boards (use of public funds without public transparency)
- Alberta is the only province in Canada allowing a charter school system
10 Strategies for Equitable Public Education
We would like the Alberta Government to redefine and recommit the government’s responsibility to a more equitable public education system for all Alberta students.
- Make high quality early childhood education universal and accessible, leveling the playing field and closing the achievement gap for underprivileged children.
- Build schools as community engagement centres, comprehensive facilities where children and citizens can participate physically, intellectually and civically.
- Eliminate ALL barriers including all school-related fees (including, but not limited to, instructional materials, bussing, lunch supervision) and application procedures.
- All schools should have a full, inclusive, and balanced curriculum including but not limited to arts, music, science, history, language arts, additional languages, mathematics, and physical education.
- Reduce class sizes to bring them in line with the recommendations in the Alberta Learning Commission report of 2003 & provide adequate supports for classroom complexity.
- Integrate charter schools into public system, eliminating all fees and ability to deny access.
- Provide integrated services for students including medical and social services that help children keep up with advantaged peers. One in six Alberta children live in poverty.
- Reduce emphasis on high stakes standardized testing. Provide alternative and more comprehensive criteria for measuring student success.
- Return to specialization for teachers at all grade levels.
- Recognize that public education is a public responsibility not a consumer good. Its quality and accessibility should be equitable across the province.