Alberta Primetime: Panel Discussion of 2012 Education Budget

Alberta Primetime recently hosted a panel discussion of the 2012 Education Budget. Panelists included Jacquie Hansen, President of the Alberta School Boards' Association, Jonathan Teghtmeyer, Alberta Teachers' Association, and Frank Peters, Professor of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Alberta. Issues highlighted: infrastructure needs, inflation outpacing grants, inclusive education, FNMI & Aboriginal students, teachers' contract bargaining and teacher workload.

Budget 2012: Investing in People

The Alberta Government has released the 2012 Budget.

What's in the budget for K-12 students?
■$34 million invested every school day in K-12 students.
■School boards to receive grant rate increases of 1%, 2% and 2% for base instruction and class size grants over the next three years to address enrolment and other cost pressures. Other grants increasing 2% each year.
■14 new schools opening their doors to more than 10,000 students this year.
■45 new schools and 31 major renovation projects in planning or construction.
■$1 billion invested in school infrastructure over the next three years.

You can also glean more information from the Alberta Government news release, From kindergarten to post secondary, Alberta's education systems receive predictable funding.

For greater detail, check out the Education Business Plan 2012 - 2015 and the 2012/2013 Government Estimates - Education.

The Calgary Board of Education in a media advisory released today, shared that Administration will be carefully analyzing the provincial budget and will prepare a report for the Trustees to be presented at their regular public meeting on February 21.

Alberta School Boards' Association press release regarding the budget.

The Alberta Teachers' Association responded to the budget with "Shell Game Budget Disappoints Teachers." The article states that the Alberta Government is projecting a 2.5% increase in inflation for the coming year but is only increasing the base instruction grant by 1% for the corresponding time period - which means boards could once again be cutting staff and/or programs.

Alberta Primetime: Full Day Kindergarten

Premier Alison Redford has followed through on her leadership campaign promise to return $107M in funding to education. Now she is working with Education Minister, Thomas Lukaszuk, to deliver on another campaign promise, full-day kindergarten for all.

Eryn Kelly, Co-President of the Calgary Association of Parents and School Councils, along with Cheryl Smith, Vice-President of the Alberta School Boards Association, and Cynthia Prasow, Instructor at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Education, participated in an Alberta Primetime panel discussion around the provision of full-day kindergarten to all children in our province.

Panel Highlights:
•Full-day kindergarten offered in British Columbia and Ontario to all children
•In Alberta, full-day kindergarten is available to some, not all children
•Benefits: equity and fairness across province; greater potential for early intervention; improve grade 1 readiness; research shows improvement in literacy, language, social and emotional development - especially for “at risk” children; recognition of the important connection between early learning and later success
•Drawbacks: wide range of readiness for full-day program; availability of space; cost is projected at $200M; staffing pressures; bus ride times