Budget disappointing for Alberta’s teachers

Key educational issues not addressed by government

The provincial budget released March 22 appears to hold the line by addressing rising costs, but what is really needed is funding that will bring about genuine improvements in schools, said Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) President Frank Bruseker.

Bruseker pointed to a number of problems that the government still needs to address, including class sizes, crumbling infrastructure, lack of new schools and the unfunded liability of the teachers’ pension plan.

Bruseker was particularly concerned that the government intends to give school boards more flexibility and time to reach the class size averages set out by Alberta’s Commission on Learning. "Is the government backing away from its previous commitment?" asked Bruseker.

"Even where district class size averages are falling, many classrooms are still too large, particularly in our junior and senior high schools," he said. "That is because class size averages include special needs and alternative programs, whose small enrolments skew the reality of class size as it affects most students. There are still many students sitting in classes of 35 or more." Bruseker called on the government to raise the bar and to commit to actually eliminating large classes. "Reducing class sizes is something that this government can do that will improve student learning and the educational experience for every student."

Bruseker pointed out that the government’s injection of $339 million into new school construction will not meet long-standing needs. "My own MLA, Carol Haley, has said to Minister Zwozdesky in the provincial legislature that five more schools are required in her riding," he said.

"In 2000, Alberta infrastructure estimated that $1.19 billion would be required just to bring existing schools up to standard. That was six years ago, and the infrastructure problems have only become worse, as evidenced by last week’s evacuation of Marlborough School in Calgary." The Calgary Board of Education has indicated that it alone needs almost $500 million in infrastructure funding, and the Edmonton Public School Board still needs over $200 million to meet its urgent infrastructure needs. "Those are just two of the 62 school boards in the province," he said.

Bruseker also noted that the unfunded liability of the Alberta Teachers’ Pension Fund is still accumulating. "The budget documents reveal that over $158 million will be allocated to funding this unproductive intergenerational debt this year. This figure will continue to grow until the government takes decisive action to eliminate the entire unfunded liability," he said. "If the pension problem was solved, these dollars could be freed up to bring class sizes down and to repair crumbling schools.

"On the one hand, we have a government that has had successive multi-billion dollar surpluses, sending prosperity cheques to everyone in the province. On the other hand, we have an education legacy of millions of dollars of debt and deficit," he said. "You don’t need to be a math teacher to realize this simply does not add up."


Also In the News