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Yes, but not what you might think ...
Gambling is a problem for an estimated five per cent of Albertans—a group that likely now includes some school administrators, teachers, parents and students, although it is a problem of a different kind.
In 2006, the Catholic Archdiocese of Calgary directed Catholic schools to cease active pursuit of revenues derived from gambling. This past September, the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton directed Catholic schools in that city to follow suit. Morally, it may not pose a problem for Catholic districts to halt the use of gambling proceeds. Financially, it is another story.
A two-day casino in Edmonton or Calgary can net in the neighbourhood of $70,000 for a single school. It’s a lot of money, and it is needed and well spent, said Sandy Gillis, president of Edmonton Catholic Teacher Local No. 54. The 87 schools in his district receive approximately $6 million every 18 months from Alberta’s charitable gaming pot. All those proceeds go toward providing students with the best education experience possible, something crucial in a province focused on producing 21st century learners with what some might consider 20th century funding.
“The government in no way funds technology appropriately for students,” said Gillis, adding that many schools use charitable gaming revenue just to keep pace with the ongoing and ever-growing costs of technology, including SMART Boards, servers, software licensing and the greening of computers.
Kathy MacIsaac, executive director of Local No. 54, heard concerns about the ban on gaming revenue from those attending the local’s recent trustee forum. She said some people are concerned about losing the revenue source because they know the money “doesn’t just go to technology, to computers and frills, but to things like breakfast and hot lunch programs—things that are considered basic and needed for good learning over the course of a day.”
Spending on technology and food programs are two ways that schools use charitable gaming revenue. Other uses include purchasing phys ed equipment, musical instruments and uniforms; building or modernizing school playgrounds; and funding field trips and tournaments.
When the ban was announced in 2006, Calgary Catholic School District was given three years to find new sources of funding to replace the millions in gaming revenue it would lose. This school year is the first year it will have no access to big bucks from Calgary’s casinos. It hopes to raise $7 million to build on the $3 million that has so far been donated to a foundation created last year—the Calgary Catholic Education Foundation.
The ban on charitable gaming revenue in the Edmonton Catholic School District, to have taken effective October 1, is on hold indefinitely. The board said that, like its Calgary counterpart, it requires time to locate new sources of funding—not an unreasonable request when it would take the sale of 17,500 boxes of chocolate-covered almonds, at $4 a box, to make up what one casino event could generate for a single school.
Gillis said the idea of establishing a foundation similar to Calgary’s has been mentioned and other ideas are sure to be discussed as the district devises a strategy to maintain a level playing field with its public school competition. But he admits to dreaming that one day “a wise leader would say, ‘Why don’t we take a cent of every litre of gas sold in this province and put it directly into education.’” He then inadvertently revealed another dream, an ironic one more in line with his needs as a principal of an elementary school. He gave the office manager of the local executive office $20 for his share of the group’s lottery tickets.
Said Gillis, with a genuinely wishful smile: “If I win, my staffing problems will be over.”
