Page Content
Morinville students will soon have access to public education similar to that offered elsewhere across the province if changes outlined in new legislation are passed by the Alberta legislature. Boundaries of school divisions will change, designations for public and separate school boards will switch and arrangements will be made for a permanent site for public education in Morinville.
Bill 4, St. Albert and Sturgeon Valley School Districts Establishment Act, was introduced in the legislature February 22. The bill expands Sturgeon School Division; establishes Greater St. Albert Roman Catholic Separate School District; and dissolves St. Albert Protestant Separate School District, establishing St. Albert Public School District in its stead.
“Students were already receiving a quality education in Morinville schools,” said Minister of Education Thomas Lukaszuk. “This decision means that they will also be in an environment where they feel most comfortable, and their parents will have a voice in their education.”
The current education system in the Sturgeon Valley area is unique. When school boards in Morinville, Legal and St. Albert were established, a majority of the population was of the Roman Catholic faith and their schools became the “public” system. Elsewhere in the province, Roman Catholic residents were in the minority and their schools became the “separate” system.
When a number of Morinville parents expressed a desire to opt out of religious instruction, the government asked Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division, St. Albert Protestant Separate School District and Sturgeon School Division to develop a solution that accommodated parents’ rights to choice and representation by a trustee, maintained both a public and a separate education, and continued to meet Alberta’s high educational standards.
“I am so pleased that school boards collaborated to identify a solution,” Lukaszuk said, “and I am pleased to introduce legislation that implements many elements of their preferred option.”
Sturgeon School Division, an existing public school division operating around St. Albert, will expand.
“We are pleased with this solution, and we will work with the separate school board, the town, and community members to ensure a smooth transition to a designated public school in Morinville,” said Terry Jewell, chair of the division. “Sturgeon School Division has a long and respected reputation in Sturgeon County and we are looking forward to moving into our new school and serving the families and children of Morinville and Legal.”
A new separate school district, Greater St. Albert Roman Catholic Separate School District, will serve those communities previously served by Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division as well as incorporating Cardiff Roman Catholic Separate School District and Cunningham Roman Catholic Separate School District, two nonoperating school jurisdictions in the area. The new board, made up of the existing eligible trustees of Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division, will operate a Roman Catholic separate school district like any other separate school board in the province.
“We are pleased that our work in finding a local solution is reflected in this legislation and that a change in our division status means that we will continue to provide Catholic education in St. Albert, Morinville and Legal. As a top-performing division in the region, our families can expect to receive the same high-quality education they currently experience. As always, we will continue to welcome families of all faiths,” said Lauri-Ann Turnbull, chair of Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division.
Because there cannot be two separate (minority) school boards serving the same area, an additional change is required. St. Albert Protestant Separate School District will be dissolved, and a new public school board, St. Albert Public School District, will be created. The new school board, made up of the existing eligible trustees of St. Albert Protestant, will continue to operate all of the existing St. Albert Protestant schools within the existing boundaries of the City of St. Albert. The new school board will operate like any other public school board in the province.
Joan Trettler, chair of St. Albert Protestant Separate School District, expressed the board’s disappointment in a letter to parents the day the bill was introduced.
"We entered into these discussions in good faith, and we were prepared to change our designation with one crucial caveat—that we retain the rights afforded to us when our district was established. We understand these rights to be: the right to exist, the right to elect trustees, and the right to tax," Trettler wrote.
"We want it to be clear that we did not agree to the compromise proposed. We believe that the rights afforded to our district when it was established could be protected and that continues to be our position. Although we are pleased that Bill 4 recognizes that our district’s boundaries will remain co-terminus with the City of St. Albert, we are disappointed that no assurances regarding regionalization (joining or becoming part of another district) in the future have been made. This concern was our main focus in the caveat that has not been fully addressed."
Arrangements are under way to ensure that a permanent school site will be up and running by September 2012. Ownership of an educational site in Morinville will be reassigned to Sturgeon School Division, although the school or shared space arrangements have not yet been determined.
