June 15, 2021

Celebration and optimism

Another Spring General Assembly (SGA) has come and gone for the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta (PSBAA), and what a celebration it was!

Even though our SGA was virtual again this year, we were determined nothing would dampen our enthusiasm and our spirits. As always, we were uplifted and encouraged after spending two days together.

We were so privileged to have numerous guests in attendance, including our Education Partners from the Alberta School Councils’ Association, the College of Alberta School Superintendents, the Alberta School Boards Association, the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the Public Schools of Saskatchewan. I want to especially acknowledge the turnout of our first-time invited guest members of our school councils.

In my address as President, I told attendees that, even though the public school system is the largest system in Alberta with the most students, we are not focused on the numbers. We are focused on the diversity of our students. We have an even greater weight of responsibility to ensure our schools and classrooms are properly funded, and our students have the resources they need to succeed to their full potential.

I also talked about the challenge and splintered resources that result from six different education systems in Alberta – each providing its own layer of administration and duplication. We have all imagined how much more we could offer our students if those dollars were redirected to our classrooms, and wonder about the charter school experiment in Alberta. It has not resulted in the outcomes that were expected or promised. Dr. Curtis Riep’s report on charter schools is an important read. You can view it on our website at this link.

Speaking of Dr. Riep, he presented his new paper at our SGA: A Review of K-12 Education Funding in Alberta. This paper will be a useful reference document for a wide variety of individuals, from school administration, to trustees, to school families and anyone with an interest in school finance in Alberta. Dr. Riep’s paper is posted on our website here.

This year, we also presented our Special Recognition and Long Service Awards. Arlene Hrynyk, Board Chair with Northern Lights Public Schools and a former PSBAA President, was recognized as this year’s winner of the Dick Baker Legacy Award.

Dr. Rubi Helen Shirley, Trustee with Northland School Division, was recognized as the first recipient of the new PSBAA award, Promoting and Advancing in Alberta one or more of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Ross Hunter, the Communications Officer for Aspen View Public Schools, was recognized with the Special Contribution to Public Education: Media award.

Robert (Bob) Knull, Trustee, Peace Wapiti Public School Division, was honoured with the Special Contribution to Public Education award.

Michael Janz, Trustee with Edmonton Public Schools, was recognized with PSBAA’s Advancing Association and Business Initiatives award.

The Public Schools of Saskatchewan was also recognized with a Special Contribution to Public Education award.

We also had some great speakers and presenters this year, who inspired us in our pursuit of promoting and protecting our much-loved public school system.

Doug Griffiths, author of 13 Ways to Kill Your Community, had a great presentation on the Arrival of the Inevitable. He really got us thinking about the pace of change, and what may lie ahead. How we approach these changes will determine our success.

We also recognized Mental Health Day for schools. It is so important for people to remember that they are not alone, and there are so many resources and so much help available today.

We kicked off day two of our SGA with four great presentations that really highlight the plethora of choice in our public schools!

Wild Rose School Division’s Pioneer Middle School’s Symphonic Band, led by the incredible, award-winning Kim Hastings, played three musical numbers for us. Our kids learn so much more than just music in a band program!

Next up was the Prairie Land Public School Division’s Agriculture program, followed by the Prairie Rose School Division’s Aviation program, and Northland School Division’s Online Development program. It’s remarkable to think that Northland serves an area almost as large as Arizona or Italy!

Our day closed with an afternoon presentation from Chief Willie Littlechild. He talked about the discovery of the bodies of 215 children at the site of the former residential school in Kamloops, of the importance of education, and the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

We asked Chief Littlechild what we, as school board trustees, could do to help. Chief Littlechild asked each one of us to look at the Calls, listen to the one that speaks to us and make a commitment that we will implement that call to action.

We concluded this year’s SGA with a sense of optimism and hope for the future. We are excited for what lies ahead!

Cathy Hogg,
President