May 31, 2021
A celebration of public school education in Alberta
This is such an exciting time of year for the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta (PSBAA). Not only is it spring, with longer daylight hours and generally warmer weather, it’s almost the time of year for our annual Spring General Assembly (SGA)! Due to the pandemic, we will be meeting in a virtual setting again this year, instead of in person. However, the setting has not dampened our enthusiasm…
May 14, 2021
Provincial funding and accountability should go hand in hand
In my blog posts recently I’ve been writing about why it’s important to have democratically-elected public school board trustees. The Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta’s (PSBAA) third belief statement is that Public schools are governed by democratically-elected trustees, accountable to communities and to the province. This is important because together as a board, school trustees decide how to allocate their jurisdiction’s share of more than $8.3 billion in yearly…
April 30, 2021
Education Week and the importance of local decision-making
Education Week 2021 in Alberta is from May 3 to May 7. This is a great time to highlight the importance of public education and the equally important role of public schools – and public school board trustees – in their local communities. But our public schools do not exist singularly or in a vacuum. Each public school is part of a public school jurisdiction that is governed by a…
April 15, 2021
Diversity is truly a lesson plan for life
Diversity, equity and inclusion matter more than ever before – here in Alberta, and especially in our K-12 public schools. That’s why the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta’s 7th and final belief statement is so important. “Public schools most closely reflect, embody, embrace and promote the diversity within today’s Alberta.” That’s a bold statement, but we passionately believe we need to do more than just reflect and embody diversity:…
March 31, 2021
Cooperation and collaboration benefit all students
This is an election year for locally-elected school board trustees in Alberta. It’s important to know the issues before you vote, and to choose the trustee – or trustees – who best represent you, your values and your concerns. Before you can make your choice, you need to know what your school board trustee candidates believe. That’s why I’ve been writing a series of blog posts on the Public School…
March 15, 2021
Student education AND well-being – an important balance
I have been writing about the importance of the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta (PSBAA) belief statements. Our belief statements are especially important in 2021 – a school board trustee election year in Alberta. Our fifth belief statement is: Public schools nurture each student’s education and well-being within a supportive learning community. This is a critically important statement. I am passionate about student learning and making sure we as…
February 28, 2021
Why is it so important to have democratically elected public school board trustees?
This is an election year for locally-elected school board trustees. I have been writing about the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta (PSBAA) belief statements, and why they are especially important this year. Our third and fourth belief statements are: Public schools are governed by democratically elected trustees, accountable to communities and the province. Public schools offer world-class education through innovation, diversity and equitable learning experiences. Together as a board,…
February 15, 2021
Why public schools are the first choice of our communities
In my last blog post, I talked about the importance of belief statements, and why they are especially important for the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta. With public school board trustee elections coming up on Monday, October 18, 2021, I’d like to start talking about why each of our seven belief statements matter. Today, I’ll talk about the first two: Public schools are the first choice of our communities.…
January 29, 2021
The importance of belief (statements)
As locally-elected public school board trustees, it is important to us that the people who voted for us know what we believe. That knowledge is especially important in 2021 for two reasons. One, municipal and school board trustee elections are coming up on Monday, Oct. 18, and we hope everyone is planning now to research their local candidates so they can make an informed decision. Two, there is a lot…
January 15, 2021
What’s ahead for our public schools in 2021?
This week, our public schools welcomed back K-12 students to the classroom for in-person learning. Our top priority remains protecting the health and safety of every single student and staff member in our classrooms, recognizing that students learn better in person. We also know that it’s been hard for them not to see their friends, even though they must continue to be physically distant for at least the next several…