Dear Premier Kenney and Hon. Minister LaGrange,
I am writing today to express my concerns over the Alberta Provincial Budget tabled October 24, in particular with the education budget. Specifically, my concerns are:
• Students, families and schools boards were asked to wait six months for a budget that ultimately copied 2018 actuals (8.2 billion dollars) and used the identical value to forecast 2019 education operating expenses.
• The claim that funding for education is maintained in this budget is inaccurate. 8.2 billion dollars was the actual expense to educate 727,222 students in 2018. This government will provide 8.2 billion dollars to eucate 742,222 students and an additional 15,000 students in 2019, effectively cutting spending on public education. This means every public school student in Alberta will have to be educated for less money.
• This budget does not adequately account for more students in the system, increasing expenses related to teacher pay, transportation, school maintenance and other resources and supports.
• Important grants used to bridge funding gaps have been eliminated (Class size initiative, and the classroom improvement fund) - and replaced with an insufficient One Time Transition amount.
• Private education in Alberta will see a five million dollar increase in spending (286M$ in 2018 to 291M$ in 2019). As stated on page 58 of the Ministry Business Plans document of the AB 2019 budget: ‘To ensure Alberta students have access to private early childhood services, home education programs, charter schools, private schools and alternative programming, $400 million is allocated in 2019-20.' This clearly shows the government's commitment to redirecting public taxpayer dollars to privately run institutions.
The inability to concentrate and augment funding for public education is an assault on Alberta children, 94% of whom are educated through the public system. I strongly oppose this budget and its failure to provide adequate resources for public education across Alberta.
It is my hope that this government will recognize the importance of public education in Alberta, by not only funding each and every public school student, but doing so adequately with a per student amount that as stated in the MacKinnon report, is more in line with Quebec ($12,325 per students) and Ontario ($17,077 per student), both substantially above the 2019 Budget Grades 1- 9 Base Instruction Rate of $6680 per student.
Public education students deserve to experience the Alberta Advantage this government speaks so much of.
I am writing today to express my concerns over the Alberta Provincial Budget tabled October 24, in particular with the education budget. Specifically, my concerns are:
• Students, families and schools boards were asked to wait six months for a budget that ultimately copied 2018 actuals (8.2 billion dollars) and used the identical value to forecast 2019 education operating expenses.
• The claim that funding for education is maintained in this budget is inaccurate. 8.2 billion dollars was the actual expense to educate 727,222 students in 2018. This government will provide 8.2 billion dollars to eucate 742,222 students and an additional 15,000 students in 2019, effectively cutting spending on public education. This means every public school student in Alberta will have to be educated for less money.
• This budget does not adequately account for more students in the system, increasing expenses related to teacher pay, transportation, school maintenance and other resources and supports.
• Important grants used to bridge funding gaps have been eliminated (Class size initiative, and the classroom improvement fund) - and replaced with an insufficient One Time Transition amount.
• Private education in Alberta will see a five million dollar increase in spending (286M$ in 2018 to 291M$ in 2019). As stated on page 58 of the Ministry Business Plans document of the AB 2019 budget: ‘To ensure Alberta students have access to private early childhood services, home education programs, charter schools, private schools and alternative programming, $400 million is allocated in 2019-20.' This clearly shows the government's commitment to redirecting public taxpayer dollars to privately run institutions.
The inability to concentrate and augment funding for public education is an assault on Alberta children, 94% of whom are educated through the public system. I strongly oppose this budget and its failure to provide adequate resources for public education across Alberta.
It is my hope that this government will recognize the importance of public education in Alberta, by not only funding each and every public school student, but doing so adequately with a per student amount that as stated in the MacKinnon report, is more in line with Quebec ($12,325 per students) and Ontario ($17,077 per student), both substantially above the 2019 Budget Grades 1- 9 Base Instruction Rate of $6680 per student.
Public education students deserve to experience the Alberta Advantage this government speaks so much of.