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The following are excerpts from newspapers throughout Alberta. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the ATA.
And the other $10 k went under what budget line?
The Calgary Board of Education hasn’t escaped the growing scrutiny of public executives’ expenses. … A review of the school board’s audited financial statements for 2010-2011 suggests chief superintendent Naomi Johnson is a model of restraint and a rare public official who can spot a good deal on airfares. Despite a busy travel schedule, Johnson only expensed $2,390, according to the statements—one of the lowest amounts of any top school manager in the province. … Calgary Herald education reporter Richard Cuthbertson was understandably curious to know how Johnson could have travelled to China and conducted other public business for an entire year for such a modest sum. Cuthbertson sought access to Johnson’s expenses in August, but his repeated requests were ignored by the CBE. A month later, he submitted a formal application for a copy of Johnson’s expenses under provincial freedom of information laws, and recently learned her charges were actually five times greater—$13,459.72. In fact, the flight to China alone was $3,056.79. … There’s no suggestion that Johnson’s higher-than-listed expenses weren’t legitimate, but surely taxpayers should be able to rely on public documents for an accurate account of where their money is being spent, especially so in a crucial public service such as education, which is perennially scrambling for more cash.
—Editorial, Calgary Herald, October 31, 2012
Time for action, Ally
In the year since Alison Redford became Alberta’s premier, she has been long on promises. … But it’s crunch time now—and the crunch is being felt in a number of areas, not the least of which is education. …The Red Deer Public School District is beginning discussions today on how to reduce a $1.4-million deficit, which otherwise would be funded by reserves. The board’s budget is $110 million, and the reserve pool is not bottomless. … Last spring, the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools board of trustees passed a $77.8-million budget, with a $503,000 deficit. Again, reserves were tapped to make up the shortfall. … Redford campaigned on a platform of sustainable planning and funding, in a number of areas, including schools . … “It’s going to be about education,” she said in one spring campaign stop in Red Deer in which she listed priorities and talked about defining Alberta’s future. … But Albertans shouldn’t be required to wait any longer. It’s time for action, and the crisis in school funding would be a good place to start.
—Editorial, Red Deer Advocate, October 24, 2012
Lest they be judged …
The evidence is in — being vaccinated against cervical cancer does not make girls more promiscuous. … Researchers at Kaiser Permanente studied 1,398 girls in the state of Georgia who had been given the vaccine and 905 who had not, over a three-year period. The group that had been vaccinated did not show increased rates of seeking contraceptive advice, having a pregnancy test or getting pregnant, or being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease. … Vaccination against the human papilloma virus that causes several types of cervical cancer should have always been purely a public health issue, unencumbered by moral judgments. Unfortunately, Calgary Roman Catholic Bishop Fred Henry focused unnecessarily on concerns about girls’ promiscuity and decreed that the Catholic school division would not offer the vaccine, thus ensuring that thousands of girls would remain unprotected—including against picking up the virus as the chaste brides of sexually experienced husbands.
—Editorial, Calgary Herald, October 17, 2012
