Page Content
The following are excerpts from newspapers throughout Alberta. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the ATA.
Money will make a difference, but for how long?
“The injection of a further $15 million into Calgary public schools—and the infusion of $9 million into Catholic facilities—is expected to lead to smaller classroom sizes. That’s as it should be and fulfils the expectation that the addition of $107 million provincewide by Premier Alison Redford would pay dividends for students. ‘There is only one litmus test,’ said Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk. ‘Whatever expenditures we make in education, they have to make a tangible difference in the lives of children in schools.” … Lukaszuk, who seems a quick study in his new portfolio, should ensure he can promise stability to school planners, the same way those who manage the health-care system can count on multi-year commitments. Without that confidence, Alberta schools risk being little further ahead despite the addition of $107 million.”
—Editorial, Calgary Herald, October 20, 2011
Winnipeg school needs lesson in community service
“Is this the proper way to teach community service? Children at a Winnipeg private school who take part in anti-abortion vigils outside of the city’s Health Science Centre are receiving community service credits for their participation. … Those speaking out against the credit-driven vigils state this is ill-considered; others are coming out and stating the private school should lose their public funding over this. The independently funded Catholic school receives operating grants from the provincial government. The funding is at 50 per cent of the per student rate in the school division the school is located. … How can this be deemed a community service? To serve you must perform voluntary work, intended for the common good. Is this a benefit to a community or institution or is it the manipulation of kids who have yet to have enough knowledge to understand their role?”
—Editorial, Leduc Representative, October 14, 2011
Redford right to restore funding
“If Premier Alison Redford makes good on her promise to reverse $107 million worth of education funding cuts, she will not only be doing the right thing—she’ll be doing it at the right time. … If Alberta is to weather this economic storm and future ones, it needs a population that is well-educated and ready to compete on a global scale. But that’s not the only reason why we can’t afford budget cuts right now—another reason is simply the fact that there are so many changes occurring at this time in education. From Alberta’s new model for special education to the Prairie Rose School Division’s exploration of videoconferencing, alternative school calendars and learn-from-home options, there is a lot happening on the education front these days. It makes no sense to cut the legs out from underneath a system at exactly the moment that it is trying to reinvent itself to meet the needs of modern society. … As our society grows increasingly complex, our education system will have to work harder than ever before to prepare young Albertans for the future. Now is the time to fund that system appropriately—not 10 years from now, not when the markets improve, but now.”
—Amanda Stephenson, Medicine Hat News, October 12, 2012
Getting rid of prayer is good decision
“It appears a suspension of the Lord’s Prayer from Sturgeon Heights School in St. Albert may be headed for a permanent expulsion. And it’s about time. It’s shocking that a public school could still be starting its day with a Christian prayer. … Getting rid of the prayer is the right decision but it shouldn’t have required such dithering to arrive at this conclusion. … If a spiritual element must exist in the public school system, it should be in the form of teaching our children, in a fact-based way, about the various religious beliefs that exist in the world, to foster knowledge and understanding of these differences. This way our children won’t grow up fearing those who look or believe a bit differently. Otherwise, let’s leave religious promotion where it belongs, in the home and the spiritual centres in the community.”
—Editorial, St. Albert Gazette, September 28, 2011
