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. We believe all children can learn and live the values of democracy together, reflecting our hope and shaping the future of our communities.
• Public schools are intended to be the first school built in any new community.

So why are public schools the “first” or the “first choice” in our communities?

Public schools are inclusive. We have a long and proud history of accepting every student who comes through our doors. We do not turn away students due to a lack of space or a mismatch with a school’s academic focus. Therefore, the public school system in Alberta educates the most students as a percentage of the population, so it makes sense for the first school in any new community to be a public school. It is not unreasonable to consider a different funding model to provide the tremendous resources that are required to accommodate that inclusivity.

Educational funding is distributed to school jurisdictions on a per-capita basis, calculated on confirmed student enrollment as of September 30 of every school year. The concept of “choice” in education has come to mean many things: public schools, separate schools, francophone, charter, home and independent schools. All of these school choices receive public – that is, taxpayer – funding that is disbursed from the Alberta government every year. It’s a big investment, worth a total of $8.3 billion annually.

Public school trustees administer their share of provincial funding on behalf of the schools and families in their jurisdiction, allocating resources according to the priorities of each community. Trustees consult regularly – informally and formally – throughout each year with their constituents, to make sure they’re making the right decisions to meet students’ educational needs.

Because public schools are open to every K-12 student, regardless of ability, background or location, we believe they should be the first school to be built in any community. Every student can and will find their home in a public school in any part of Alberta.

But public schools are about far more than just accessibility to all students, without any sort of barrier. They are also about living and learning the values of democracy together. Democracy is one of our highest ideals as an evolved society.

Public schools occupy an important and significant place in the lives and futures of our children and our communities. This is why it’s so important to have a public school in every community in Alberta.

Cathy Hogg,
President