November 15, 2022

Our unchanging priority: Students First

The English phrase, “may you live in interesting times”, is often attributed to an ancient Chinese curse. True or not, I believe these are important times. While there is still economic uncertainty, we are optimistic as we approach the end of 2022. That’s because our main focus and unchanging priority remains the same: Students First.

Students First means creating the best possible conditions for every student in our public schools to learn, grow and prepare for their future. Trustees strive to make sure that all students have the optimal balance of resources they need for academic success: resources of teachers; educational assistants; classrooms and learning materials; bussing and safe, healthy learning environments, to name but a few.

That balance will look different in every part of Alberta, which is why having locally-elected school board trustees will always be so important. The challenges and opportunities in High Prairie may be different than those in Lethbridge, Edmonton, or Medicine Hat.

Yet, putting Students First is universal no matter where you live. It means the PSBAA advocates on behalf of all of the K-12 students, families, and school communities our members represent. We also educate political and community leaders and other stakeholders about the importance of locally-elected public school board trustees. And, we look for opportunities to collaborate and work with our education partners on common goals, for the benefit of all students.
In Alberta, 2023 will be a provincial election year. Multiple priorities will compete for limited public dollars. We will continue to remind political decision-makers of the importance of prioritizing public school education, for the benefit of all current and future students.

Recently, Alberta’s new Premier released the mandate letter for the Minister of Education. The Minister’s expected deliverables include a number of things we’ve been advocating for as an Association: increasing classroom supports to address pandemic-related learning loss; mental health and wellness support for students; building more schools in growing communities, and finding solutions to address transportation challenges, especially the funding formula and school bus ride times.

Also identified in the mandate letter are addressing complex learning needs, preparing students for the world of work, and a more holistic, cross-ministry approach to meet the unique special needs of students. This work is important, as is greater collaboration on speech-language, therapists, and psychologists.
All of these initiatives can work together for the betterment of all K-12 students. We will be proactively advocating for significant progress on these priorities, and we look forward to advancing them alongside our education partners, the Minister, and the Education ministry.

But what’s so important now is that the Minister’s mandate not become a letter that gathers dust on a shelf. It needs to be an active, daily priority list that continues, through 2023 and beyond, to put Students First.

Our students deserve nothing less!