Speech from the Throne: Education

What does the Alberta Government have in store for Education? Check out Assembly Online at 3 pm today for the Speech from the Throne.

Update: The text of the Speech from the Throne is now available on the Alberta Government website. Excerpts from the speech that address education appear below:


...It's time for foundational change. It won't be easy, but it is the right way to better manage the annual unpredictability in the budgeting process.

And it begins now. Budget 2012 will bring predictable funding on a three-year cycle to education, advanced education and municipalities. Your government will work with its partners in these areas to allow for greater stability, improved long-term planning and delivery of outcomes...

...Alberta must be able to succeed and thrive in the global knowledge economy, and that means giving every Albertan the opportunity to benefit from a cutting-edge education, from kindergarten to post-secondary, so everyone can reach their full potential...

...It will revamp Alberta's education system so all graduates can hit the ground running and contribute more effectively than ever.

Tripartite Discussions Update from the Alberta Teachers' Association

The Tripartite discussions have been back in the news. These discussions between the Alberta Government, the Alberta School Boards' Association (ASBA) and the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) were resumed this fall. The ATA recently released an update, "Tripartite discussions enter final stage." Introductory comments from the text are excerpted below:

The Alberta Teachers’ Association has participated in tripartite discussions with the government of Alberta and the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) since fall 2011.

The discussions are being held to achieve a framework agreement that would lead to collective agreements for an additional term. The government is looking to secure labour peace, cost certainty and workforce stability in the education sector.

To read the full article, click here.

Opportunity to provide input on Education Act

In a press release today, the Alberta Government announced its Our Children, Our Future: Getting it Right public consultations on the Education Act. As part of this process, the government has announced that forums in seven cities across the province will be held between November 26 and December 9.

A forum will be held in Calgary on Thursday, December 1 from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Coast Calgary. Space is limited and you must register to attend.

Alberta Government announces infrastructure dollars for Calgary Schools

In a press release today, the Alberta Government announced infrastructure dollars for two local schools, Chinook Learning Services and Notre Dame High School.

Chinook Learning Services offers High School Upgrading, Adult ESL, continuing education courses for children, youth and adults and summer school. According to the press release, this funding "will allow Calgary Board of Education to renovate vacant or under-utilized schools in various areas of Calgary to provide regional programming." MLA Teresa Woo-Paw, who was in attendance for this morning's announcement in Calgary along with the Hon. Dave Hancock and Infrastructure Minister Ray Danyluk, stated that, '"This is a sound investment in our children's future and responds to concerns we've been hearing for some time."'

Government of Alberta announces funding for new school construction and renovation projects in order to address "soaring student numbers"

The Alberta Government, in a news release today, announced funding for 22 new P3 schools and 13 older schools needing renovations at an estimated cost of $550M. The Calgary Board of Education is on the list for some modernization funding for high schools.

Minister Hancock states that Alberta's student population is expected to grow by 100,000 by decades end. Premier Stelmach is quoted in the news release adding that,'“Our students are the future leaders of our province and deserve positive learning environments.”'

Education Property Tax - Calgary

When two issues collided - the CBE announcing staffing cuts due to lack of funding and the province not collecting $42M of education property tax - there was a great deal of confusion and misinformation. If you want to know more about the situation or have any outstanding questions, we would recommend you check out Mayor Naheed Nenshi's blog post, the 2011 Education Property Taxes - Calgary Fact Sheet from the Alberta Government and the Calgary Herald article, "The $42M that could have saved 172 school jobs? Not quite."