Edmonton Journal article "Teacher contract demands will force layoffs, premier says"
Calgary Herald article "Layoffs due to contract: Premier"
CBC News article "Hancock has different take on teacher talks"
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Letter to MLA from a concerned parent
To MLA
From Parent
It is with a sense of despair that I have been learning how the Provincial government's education budget for 2011-12 will impact virtually every school board in Alberta. I am a parent of 2 children in the public education system, and I attended the Rally in Support of Education Funding on May 7th in Calgary. There were several speakers who had travelled from other parts of the province to inform us that every Board was facing deep staff cuts. It is clear these claims from the Boards are universal and cannot be blamed on individual Board mismanagement.
The education system has made such progress since the implementation of the Learning Commission's recommendations to reduce class sizes, but now the government seems to be willing to destroy all the gains that have been made. These are my deep concerns:-
1. We will lose many fine teachers from the province forever and some may leave the teaching profession altogether.
2. The money the government saves now will need to be spent many times over in the future educating new teachers to replace the ones we will lose.
3. We will lose many students from the public sector to the private sector. I know personally several students who made this move in order to get the smaller class sizes that private schools offer. We need to be adding teachers not losing them.
4. We will lose extra-curricular activities including sports. These sports and clubs enrich our children's education in many ways, and are an important part of teaching them to be caring, engaged, global citizens. We cannot expect our teachers to be able to absorb increases in class sizes and teach more curricula without something else giving.
5. We will discourage bright students from entering the teaching profession.
I believe that education is like a basic foodstuff and funding should remain stable. It should not be treated as discretionary spending to be cut back when funds are tight. I am appalled that $340 million is to be spent on a new museum in Edmonton, whilst education funding is inadequate. This museum project should be delayed again until the province's economy recovers and the money spent to maintain and improve our education system. It's like buying a new home theatre system when there is no food on the table!
Finally I looked at the government's Education Business Plan for 2011-2014 signed by The Hon Dave Hancock QC on February 2, 2011. Its Goal 2a is for satisfaction with the quality of basic education to improve 2% by 2011-12. Goal 2d is for the perception that Alberta's education system has improved in the last 3 years to improve 2% between 2009-10 and 2013-14. How, I ask, can this be possible when the government will not fund the teachers’ salary increases that it negotiated back in 2007 and how can it be asking fewer teachers to do more?
I live in abc community, in your riding. I understand that you believe in sustainability of education funding and I implore you to fight on our behalf for education funding to be restored for the next school year.
Thank you and I look forward to reading your response.
From Parent
It is with a sense of despair that I have been learning how the Provincial government's education budget for 2011-12 will impact virtually every school board in Alberta. I am a parent of 2 children in the public education system, and I attended the Rally in Support of Education Funding on May 7th in Calgary. There were several speakers who had travelled from other parts of the province to inform us that every Board was facing deep staff cuts. It is clear these claims from the Boards are universal and cannot be blamed on individual Board mismanagement.
The education system has made such progress since the implementation of the Learning Commission's recommendations to reduce class sizes, but now the government seems to be willing to destroy all the gains that have been made. These are my deep concerns:-
1. We will lose many fine teachers from the province forever and some may leave the teaching profession altogether.
2. The money the government saves now will need to be spent many times over in the future educating new teachers to replace the ones we will lose.
3. We will lose many students from the public sector to the private sector. I know personally several students who made this move in order to get the smaller class sizes that private schools offer. We need to be adding teachers not losing them.
4. We will lose extra-curricular activities including sports. These sports and clubs enrich our children's education in many ways, and are an important part of teaching them to be caring, engaged, global citizens. We cannot expect our teachers to be able to absorb increases in class sizes and teach more curricula without something else giving.
5. We will discourage bright students from entering the teaching profession.
I believe that education is like a basic foodstuff and funding should remain stable. It should not be treated as discretionary spending to be cut back when funds are tight. I am appalled that $340 million is to be spent on a new museum in Edmonton, whilst education funding is inadequate. This museum project should be delayed again until the province's economy recovers and the money spent to maintain and improve our education system. It's like buying a new home theatre system when there is no food on the table!
Finally I looked at the government's Education Business Plan for 2011-2014 signed by The Hon Dave Hancock QC on February 2, 2011. Its Goal 2a is for satisfaction with the quality of basic education to improve 2% by 2011-12. Goal 2d is for the perception that Alberta's education system has improved in the last 3 years to improve 2% between 2009-10 and 2013-14. How, I ask, can this be possible when the government will not fund the teachers’ salary increases that it negotiated back in 2007 and how can it be asking fewer teachers to do more?
I live in abc community, in your riding. I understand that you believe in sustainability of education funding and I implore you to fight on our behalf for education funding to be restored for the next school year.
Thank you and I look forward to reading your response.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Join Together Alberta: Calgary Town Hall
Join Together Alberta
Calgary Town Hall
Wed, Jun 15, 2011 7:00PM - 9:00PM
Location:
Parkdale United Church, Conference Room, 2919 8th Avenue NW, Calgary
Join together for this important community discussion.
Help create the Alberta you want!
Public services are essential to the health and well-being of our families and our communities. Yet, in a province as wealthy as Alberta, we are seeing growing class sizes, teacher and staff layoffs, a health care crisis, and under-funded public services. We must join together to build a better Alberta, one that empowers and supports our children, our families and our communities.
Join Together Alberta is an exciting campaign to protect Alberta’s vital public services. We’re reaching out across the province with a telephone town hall meeting (May 31) as well as 7 town hall meetings in cities around Alberta to foster dialogue and action towards a better Alberta for all.
Speakers to be announced soon.
Free and open to the public.
Please click here and register in advance.
Calgary Town Hall
Wed, Jun 15, 2011 7:00PM - 9:00PM
Location:
Parkdale United Church, Conference Room, 2919 8th Avenue NW, Calgary
Join together for this important community discussion.
Help create the Alberta you want!
Public services are essential to the health and well-being of our families and our communities. Yet, in a province as wealthy as Alberta, we are seeing growing class sizes, teacher and staff layoffs, a health care crisis, and under-funded public services. We must join together to build a better Alberta, one that empowers and supports our children, our families and our communities.
Join Together Alberta is an exciting campaign to protect Alberta’s vital public services. We’re reaching out across the province with a telephone town hall meeting (May 31) as well as 7 town hall meetings in cities around Alberta to foster dialogue and action towards a better Alberta for all.
Speakers to be announced soon.
Free and open to the public.
Please click here and register in advance.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
"Don't Drop the Ball" Rally Attracts Hundreds in Edmonton
The Edmonton Journal article, "Hundreds rally against education cuts," reports that the school council that organized the event did so in response to the news that Edmonton public could be eliminating 229 teaching positions and 86 full time positions that assist special needs students. The school council chair shared that, "If the cuts go forward as planned, the school will stand to lose two teaching positions, along with one of two “strategies classes,” designed to help students falling behind in reading, writing or math. Instead, all of the Grade 4, 5 and 6 students who need the extra help will now be in the same class."Photo courtesy Corina Dootjes, Canmore
Education Minister blogs about, "Money Matters: Let's focus on what improves student outcomes"
Education Minister Dave Hancock has a new blog posting that discusses the budget, class size, and student outcomes.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Alberta Primetime: Education Funding
Carol Henderson, President of the Alberta Teachers' Association, and Jacquie Hansen, President of the Alberta School Boards' Association, join Alberta Primetime to discuss the need for long-term planning around education supported by sustainable and predictable funding. Both organizations are concerned that while there will be 6,000 new students in our education system next year, approximately 1,200 teachers are being laid off. Alberta Education is projecting 100,000 new students by the end of the decade.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Letter from a School Council: A call to action
The budget shortfall the Alberta Government has created will affect your child at ABC School.
You need to speak out to protect your child's education.
Here's why: The 2011-12 budget announced by the Provincial government on February 24 creates a shortfall for the CBE of $61.7 million. The government has given $28.3 million to cover some increases in wage costs but has cut $25.3 million of program costs. Combined with other increased costs of $50.3 million and an existing deficit of $16.4 million, the shortfall of $61.7 million can only be dealt with by cutting jobs.
As a result, your child’s education at ABC School is directly impacted:
• ABC School will be losing 2 teachers and 3 support staff.
• 2 more of our teachers at ABC School will be replaced by “surplus” teachers who have more seniority. “Surplus” teachers are created because of the large reduction in numbers of teachers at head office and other schools. Neither the principal nor the surplus teachers have control over these matters.
• All the remaining teachers will have to add to their teaching load, so there will be cutbacks in extra-curricular activities like sports teams.
• The principal will have to make difficult choices in allocating scarce funds and staffing, therefore field trips and optional trips may be affected.
Is it OK with you that your child’s education program is being cut back, yet the government is spending $340 million on a new museum in Edmonton?
• ABC school is not alone in this, indeed every Public School Board in Alberta is facing similar shortfalls and layoffs. As parents, we need to tell the government that education is a priority and should not be treated as discretionary spending to be cut back in tough economic times.
Is it OK with you that we will lose wonderful teachers and programs at ABC School?
Please send the message to the government that cutting back programs and losing teachers is not acceptable. We need long term, fully funded education and we need to demand that full funding for education be restored for the coming school year.
If we do nothing the government will assume our tacit agreement to their actions.
Please write, phone or fax, or all three, to the Premier, the Education Minister, your MLA, and the opposition leader. The numbers and addresses and a sample letter are all on the reverse.
Your School Council Executive
CAPSC would like to thank the school council for sharing this letter with us, allowing us to share with you, and supporting advocacy efforts system wide. Their letter was sent to government officials including the Premier.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal weigh in on provincial education funding
In case you missed these, they make for an interesting read and will perhaps provide material for your advocacy letters...
Calgary Herald editorial "New schools are good, but what about teachers?"
Calgary Herald opinion piece by Paula Arab "Choice is great, but school is about basics"
The Edmonton Journal article "Schools need stable funding from province"
Calgary Herald editorial "New schools are good, but what about teachers?"
Calgary Herald opinion piece by Paula Arab "Choice is great, but school is about basics"
The Edmonton Journal article "Schools need stable funding from province"
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