November 15, 2021

Fall Conference and AGM: Education and Celebration

Later this week, the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta will hold its Fall Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM).

These events are always one of the highlights of my year as a public school board trustee, but this year it will be a bittersweet experience as this will be my last conference as PSBAA President.

I have been so privileged to serve this Association as President for a total of four amazing years. And I’m proud to say that, although the past two-year term has been anything but predictable, it has been defined by far more than just how we have responded – and flourished – as an Association during the pandemic.

When I was re-elected as PSBAA President two years ago in November 2019, no one could have predicted how our lives would change just a few short months later. It’s hard to believe that in March 2020, K-12 schools were closed to in-person learning and everyone in our school communities was trying to navigate a “new normal.”

We had no idea what to expect when we embarked on this journey 20 months ago, but we were determined that we would link arms and press on – together.

And we have done that. I am so proud of each and every one of you, and your resourcefulness and your determination. We have learned so much together, and we have reaffirmed all the reasons that the role of the locally-elected public school board trustee is more important than ever.

I have always been convinced we need to elevate the voice of the locally-elected public school board trustee in our communities, and explain why that voice is so important. Today, I am more convinced than ever.

We have always said that a centralized, cookie-cutter approach to K-12 education funding will not achieve the best results and meet the needs of the students and families in our local communities. What works in High Prairie may not work in Ponoka. Local public school board trustees know their communities and are best-placed to make decisions about how to allocate education funding dollars to best meet the needs and opportunities in their jurisdictions.

All trustees, regardless of where in Alberta they live, share the same goal: to offer a world-class education to every K-12 student through innovation, diversity, and equitable learning experiences. Trustees are passionately committed to providing exceptional educational opportunities for ALL students – regardless of geographic location, background, or ability.

This passion has fueled numerous important projects for the Association over the past two years, and we have continued to lead the way in advocacy and in providing valuable education and resources for our member school boards.

We achieved an unprecedented level of cooperation as public school boards in Alberta – PSBAA members and non-members – collaborated on a submission to Alberta Education about how best to improve student transportation.

The PSBAA commissioned valuable research on K-12 education funding, the charter school experiment, and homeschooling in Alberta.

We raised awareness about the difference between publicly-funded and provincially funded schools – and why that matters.

And we introduced a series of seven Belief Statements about who we are and what we believe in. Especially in the 2021 school board election year, being able to clearly communicate these fundamental truths to our community members was more important than ever.

Our fourth Belief Statement summarizes the fundamental role of who we are and what we do: “Public schools are governed by democratically-elected trustees, accountable to communities and the province.”

We are proud of our work to advocate on behalf of our students and families to keep our world-class K-12 education system a leading example for the rest of the modern world. But what is next?

We are looking ahead to a positive future, beginning with our 2021 Fall Conference and AGM. Given the fluid public health restrictions, we are holding a hybrid event this year.

On Wednesday, November 17 we will welcome guests and attendees to the Lieutenant-Governor Lois E. Hole Dinner. Our keynote speaker is David King, the former first Executive Director of the PSBAA, a former MLA, and a former Minister of Education.

On Thursday, November 18 we are excited to welcome back Tom Gentzel, the former Executive Director of the National School Boards Association. Tom will talk to us about why locally-elected school boards continue to be important and what we should do to ensure they stay that way. On Friday, November 19 we will hold our annual general meeting and election of the new PSBAA Board of Directors.

As I conclude my term, I am thankful for everyone I have had the privilege of working with over the past four years as your President. It has truly been the honour of a lifetime. I wish you and your families good health, happiness, peace, and prosperity.

Cathy Hogg,
President