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EDMONTON - In response to Premier Smith’s admission that major issues regarding capacity and utilization exist across the province's educational system, Public Interest Alberta and their allies are re-issuing their demands for public education.
EDMONTON - In response to Premier Smith’s admission that major issues regarding capacity and utilization exist across the province's educational system, Public Interest Alberta and their allies are re-issuing their demands for public education.
“Public education in Alberta has been underfunded for years. There are more students, fewer teachers, and less resources for educational assistants and learning materials – it’s a recipe for disaster,” said Bradley Lafortune, Executive Director of Public Interest Alberta. “It should be no surprise to Danielle Smith that schools across Alberta are over capacity, yet her comments recently suggest she is completely out of touch with reality. We all saw this coming.”
“Let me be very clear: the solution to this crisis is not starving the public system even more. The solution is to strengthen the public system,” said Lafortune. “Smith and the UCP government should listen to school boards, administrators, teachers and staff when they say ‘enough is enough, give us classrooms and resources to teach Alberta’s students.’ If we want world class education, then we need to support it with resources.”
Currently, there are dozens of schools that are near or over capacity. Edmonton Public Schools is reporting 38 schools at capacity. Calgary Public Schools is reporting their utilization rate will be at 100% system-wide this year. Edmonton Catholic Schools is reporting that more than half of their schools are at or over capacity already.
In response, Public Interest Alberta is re-issuing its “Priorities for Public Education,” which focuses on the fundamentals to get our public education system back on track.
“We know that if we want to invest in our future, then we have to invest in our kids’ education,” said Lafortune. “We need to fund enrollment growth, train and retain more teachers and staff, build more schools, and stop the experiment in elite private schools.”
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