December 15, 2020
Real gratitude in the midst of a virtual Christmas
This Friday, our students, teachers, administrators, public school board trustees and school communities start two weeks of Christmas break. For many of us, this year will look different. We’ll have smaller in-person celebrations with immediate family, and virtual celebrations with extended family. Many of us will do more home cooking and baking, perhaps do take-out meals or order in more, and do less shopping in crowded stores and malls. Others…
November 30, 2020
2020: Anything but normal
Here we are, in the last few weeks of 2020. It’s been a year unlike any other. January started off with such promise. It was the start of a new decade, and our PSBAA had wrapped up its 30th anniversary celebration year. We heard about a new coronavirus half a world away, but we were focused on balancing our budgets even as class sizes increased, watching the provincial curriculum redevelopment,…
November 17, 2020
Provincially-funded versus publicly-funded schools: what’s the difference, and why does it matter?
Public schools in Alberta have a rich, enduring history. Before Alberta was a province, the first public school was established in 1881 in what was known at the time as the Hamlet of Edmonton. According to the City of Edmonton archives, newly-arriving families in Edmonton “desperately needed” a “regular educational option”, as there wasn’t one conveniently located to serve the children of the area. At a public meeting, a new…
October 21, 2020
PSBAA’s AGM: More than just a business meeting!
Last Thursday was an inspiring, informative and productive day for the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta (PSBAA) – it was the day we held our Annual General Meeting (AGM). Our day began with Deborah Lloyd, an Elder with a long history with the Medicine Hat Public School Division and the Alberta Teachers’ Association, who brought a blessing for our deliberations. Diana Bacon, a Professional Registered Parliamentarian, provided oversight for…
September 30, 2020
Concerned about the expansion of charter schools in Alberta? You should be
Recently, the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta called on the province’s Auditor General to conduct a to conduct a full review of the educational, administrative and financial benefits of charter schools. The PSBAA has also released a discussion paper entitled Privatizing Public Choice: the past, present and future of charter schools in Alberta. The paper was written by Ph.D. candidate Curtis Riep and commissioned by PSBAA. We released this…
September 22, 2020
What is public school education, and why is it so important?
“Widespread public access to knowledge, like public education, is one of the pillars of our democracy, a guarantee that we can maintain a well-informed citizenry.” Scott Turow – American author and lawyer No one disagrees with the importance of a good education in setting up students well for the future, and the world of work. The question is: what type of school will be the best to meet the needs…
September 4, 2020
Back to school in the middle of a pandemic
“I believe this is the right first step,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, on August 27, 2020. Dr. Hinshaw was responding to a question asked at a recent news conference about what she thought of Alberta’s return to school plan, and whether school closures can be avoided if there are outbreaks of COVID-19. There is no doubt that the safe return to school for hundreds…
June 30, 2020
PSBAA President’s Year-End Blog 2020
As June winds down and we get closer to the official start of summer break, I want to take a look back at this unprecedented year, especially the past three months. Prior to COVID-19 was challenging enough in terms of changes for boards across the province with the tightening of budgets. Ultimately this resulted in fewer resources while we continue to meet the needs of the students in our inclusive…
June 15, 2020
Let’s not further fragment K-12 education in Alberta – We have enough choice!
The Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta has a long history as passionate defenders of equity and inclusivity for all children, and we are staunch advocates of the many merits of the public education system in Alberta. First and foremost, we have always been motivated by the principle of Children First. In practice this means that, as locally-elected school board trustees, we always consider the needs of the child and…
May 29, 2020
A different kind of Spring General Assembly
This weekend marks what would normally be the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta’s Spring General Assembly (SGA). In a “normal” spring, we and our trustee colleagues from across the province would be meeting in Red Deer for a day and a half of business meetings, professional development and networking – all planned to help us further advance our skills as publicly-elected school board trustees. As we know, this spring…