Page Content
School facilities. Separate school districts. Educational leadership.
Those were the three issues the Alberta Catholic School Trustees' Association (ACSTA) brought to the table when it met for the first time with the Standing Policy Committee on Education and Training November 12.
ACSTA district representative Dave Caron told MLAs that Catholic-school enrolment is growing at a rate of just over three per cent a year (compared to less than one per cent for public and separate schools combined), and many communities need new schools to ease overcrowding. But having public and Catholic schools share facilities is not an answer, he said.
Lois Burke-Gaffney, president of the ACSTA, stressed that the Catholic Church's liturgical year is knitted into the curriculum. It would be hard to maintain those rites in a building where prayer is not permitted, she said.
Bonnyville-Cold Lake MLA Denis Ducharme agreed. Catholic schools are more than "a crucifix on a wall," he said. "They have to be housed in their own facility."
Advanced Education and Career Development Minister Clint Dunford wanted to know the cause of the annual three per cent growth in enrolment. Is it the birth rate; immigration; or open boundaries; which allow funding to follow the student, he asked.
The birth rate and immigration are probably the biggest factors, Burke-Gaffney replied. Added Caron, "We would like to think it's the product we have too."
Burke-Gaffney highlighted the difficulties associated with establishing separate school districts in rural Alberta. She took issue with the School Act, which, she said, restricts the ability of Catholic students to attend rural Catholic schools. The act stipulates that a separate school district must encompass a four square mile area occupied by at least three adults of the minority faith.
"It has become increasingly evident that these requirements are outdated, particularly in rural areas which are more sparsely settled today than they were 100 years ago when the four mile restriction was set. Today, if there are three Catholic electors living in a 4 x 4, they most likely form the majority in that area, and therefore are not eligible to establish a separate school district," the submission states.
Burke-Gaffney identified educational leadership as the third challenge confronting Catholic school trustees. She noted that fewer and fewer teachers are willing to apply for positions as principals or superintendents. "There is a concern the leadership pool is diminishing rapidly," she said, making succession-planning difficult.
The submission suggests the problem may be rooted in the introduction of school councils and site-based decision-making, which "has led to more complex roles for parents and school administrators. . . . We need to focus on ensuring that educators receive the preparation and support necessary to enable them to take on these leadership positions."
Burke-Gaffney pointed out that the ACSTA has developed two leadership conferences—Blueprints and SPICE (Sharing Purpose in Catholic Education) for Catholic teachers and administrators. It has also developed a leadership workshop for Catholic school councils.
She added that the jury is still out on school councils. Education reforms are successful only if they improve children's learning, she said.
