This was a tough year for the Protestant school board financially as it had to dip into its reserves to fund a provincially mandated wage hike for teachers. At the same time, a long list of capital projects, such as the new CTS lab at W.D. Cuts, continued to collect dust on the shelf for lack of funds.
This week, we asked Protestant school board candidates how they plan to keep St. Albert schools funded.
Joe Demko
This issue involves both sustainability and adequacy of funding for education. School trustees need to create awareness in not only government, but the community as well regarding what an adequate level of funding entails and the importance of being able to depend on the funding over a period of time.
Sustainability of funds requires the government to do a better job of planning its budget and making sure that school districts know the funding levels early so they can provide proper instruction in any given year. Schools try to maintain some reserve in their budgets to meet emergent program needs. When the provincial government removes $667,000 from our district, as happened in late August of 2009, it creates difficult problems. Timing of a funding decision is crucial, as most staffing is completed in June and funding increases or decreases need to occur prior to this date.
Read more about Joe Demko here.
Cheryl Dumont
Our children represent our future. They will be tomorrow's builders, care givers, electricians, engineers, plumbers and teachers, etc. To continue delivering the education our children deserve, we must persist in lobbying the provincial government for sustainable funding.
The province's largest source of revenue comes from oil and gas. When times are good, school funding is adequate. In economic downturns, funding is slashed and education programs must be cut back or dropped. This is incredibly disruptive and interferes with long term planning.
Let's engage all Albertans — whether parents, grandparents, young people, business people, educators or staff — to advocate for stable funding. Education funds must be untouchable. Implementation of recent government directives on education, such as the Inspiring Education report, will depend on stable government support. Through media, letters, emails and social networks, we can advise MLAs, the minister of education and the premier where we stand on this important issue.
Read more about Cheryl Dumont here.
Shannon Homeniuk
Last year, our school boards were forced to use their reserves to fund provincial obligations. We must ensure this does not happen again.
We must ensure that we remain strong as a board of trustees and be very vocal with not only our MLAs and the education ministry but with all other stakeholders in our children's educational careers.
It is our province of Alberta that is responsible for 100 per cent of our funding for our children's education and it is our responsibility to be fiscally responsible with the allocated monies. It is crucial to keep access to one of the best education systems in Canada for all our children.
Long-term funding is key to maintaining the excellent services and programming that is available to all students.
We need financial reserves to implement changes for such things as technology and modernization of our schools.
Read more about Shannon Homeniuk here.
Judy Huisman
So long as the provincial government controls the education purse strings, it is even more crucial for school boards to critically examine their budgets and be prudent when it comes to spending. Having a small reserve fund is necessary for no one knows when an emergency will occur, but spending funds in the year they are received is equally important.
Funding for education must also be reliable for boards cannot budget for their district's staffing, programs and initiatives without it. Lobbying for sustainable funding is even more important now that we have witnessed the government's willingness to claw back funds destined for our students' education.
Provincial groups, such as the ASBA, PSBA, ATA, and Alberta School Councils Association, together with local school districts must pressure the government and MLAs to see this doesn't happen again. Education funding cannot be used as the government's reserve fund.
Read more about Judy Huisman here.
Mike Johnson
Schools need to be aware of the technology that is being installed in their schools. This can be very expensive and in many cases, unnecessary; just because a smart board works in one class does not mean it is needed in every room. In addition, schools should capitalize on the CTS (career and technology studies) courses and offer the skills and services to the public for a fee, such as mechanics, printing, cosmetology and construction.
Read more about Mike Johnson here.
Gerry Martins
Although our province relies heavily on resource revenues, we must continue to provide our students with the best education possible — even when the price of oil and gas goes down.
The government withheld funding for teacher salary increases negotiated by the government and told school boards to use their limited reserves created by sound fiscal management and earmarked for special projects. Funding for a new school — a need recognized by government — and renovations/modernization of existing schools is another issue in our school district.
Our school board voiced these funding concerns to our local MLAs, the minister of education and the premier, as did the Alberta School Board Association. Lobbying efforts were partially successful as government came through with the additional funding for teacher salaries.
If re-elected, I will continue to actively lobby our provincially elected officials for adequate, predictable and sustainable funding and advocate on behalf of our students — they are our future!
Read more about Gerry Martins here.
Morag Pansegrau
A government that believes in education should not base its grants to school boards on natural resources. Government does not want to hear that message from school boards, but that must change. School boards need a sustainable, predictable funding source in order to provide schooling in a fair and consistent manner to all students every year. Our children are our society's most valuable and most vulnerable asset.
Last year's claw-back was totally unacceptable and must not happen again. Our district has always been fiscally prudent and the price we paid for that was to have reserves taken away from us by government. These reserves were not excess dollars but our schools' savings accounts. Fiscally responsible people save for large future purchases and our schools were saving for such items as photocopiers and computers.
We must all raise our voices in protest when a board's prudent financial plans are thwarted.
Read more about Morag Pansegrau here.
Joan Trettler
Funding is a challenge for school boards. The past year has presented problems when money was taken from our reserves by the provincial government and the salary increase needed for the teachers' collective agreement was not provided for in the budget. If the province is going to participate in provincial bargaining, then the money that has been promised must be provided to the board.
The issue of funding for infrastructure is more complex. The Infrastructure Maintenance and Renewal Fund needs to be significantly increased so that boards can keep their buildings in good repair. A provincial fund should be established so that a substantial sum is available each year for new buildings and renovations. This amount should be allocated on a fair, transparent and reasonable basis and would provide funding that is both reliable and sustainable. As a trustee, I would advocate to our MLAs and government to implement these changes.
Read more about Joan Trettler here.
