EDUCATION CRISIS IN ALBERTA 1998 Hot News items are bolded Calgary Teachers Convention 1998 School board elections are October 1998 School board deficit worse than expected Edmonton - The public school district's deficit is even worse than the administration predicted. Two weeks ago, the board was warned that the 1997-98 books were nowhere near balanced. The audited financial statements for the last fiscal year show a $12.4 million deficit, one of the highest in recent memory, and several million more than was projected in April. The problem is underfunding, not overspending, Reynolds said. School exams shouldn't be used to probe private lives It's hard to decide which of the atrocities being perpetrated by Alberta Education NOT to get steamed up about. In the wake of revelations that the B.C. ministry of education used kids' answers on tests to cry "child abuse" and to sic social workers upon unsuspecting parents, word comes that Alberta has been doing the same thing at least since 1985, sifting through essay answers on Grade 12 annual diploma and achievement tests to sniff out possible abuse cases. Mar holds fire on schools survey Education Minister Gary Mar is treading carefully in responding to a survey which indicates a large number of Alberta school superintendents have serious problems with educational reforms. Almost 75 per cent of superintendents who responded disagreed or strongly disagreed with the government's position that reforms have improved classroom teaching practices. Almost half of the respondents believe conditions are worse now than in 1993, before the government cut funding, amalgamated school boards from 181 to 62 and stripped public boards of their taxation powers. School board anticipates $11M deficit Edmonton - The public school board is expecting to carry a deficit of $11.2 million into the next fiscal year, over $9 million more than was projected last April. It is not the biggest deficit ever, but it was large enough to prompt the administration to bring it to the board's attention before its financial statements have been audited, said Dean Power, treasurer for Edmonton Public Schools. Teachers, Tories team up on class size The Alberta Teachers' Association, an outspoken critic of the province's Tories, is praising the ruling party for passing a resolution in favour of limiting class sizes. Delegates at the Progressive Conservatives' weekend conference in Banff ratified a resolution calling on the government to cap all kindergarten to Grade 3 classes at 22 students, and provide sufficient funding for the limit. "Alberta Tories are to be congratulated for supporting such a progressive and educationally sound solution," ATA president Bauni Mackay said in a news release. Principals say smoking ban is risky Edmonton - High school principals are concerned that the public school board's smoking ban may be hazardous to students' health. The ban has prompted smokers at some schools to congregate on sidewalks and medians "close to high volume traffic (where they) are subject to risk of injury from vehicular traffic," says a report the board will consider at tonight's meeting. Schools to get injury guidelines in January School administrators should receive a new set of safety guidelines in January to help them avoid sports injuries like the one that resulted last week in a $4-million award to a young woman paralysed in a gymnastics accident. Alberta Education, Alberta Health and Alberta Community Development, in partnership with a consortium of physical education and injury control organizations, are nearing completion on a document called Alberta Physical Education Safety Guidelines. School's a dream come true for hockey students "I just thank God I'm here," says Bolduc, one of 30 students at the Hockey Academy, operated jointly by the Edmonton public school board and a private firm called Sports Corporation. The academy allows students aged 12 to 16 to combine top-rate hockey instruction with their academic subjects. Dunford in Asia to promote Alberta's expertise in adult learning Transfer of Brand Inspection services nears completion Alberta teachers not surprised by fund-raising, user-fee findings The Alberta Liberals' findings on fund-raising and user fees do not come as a surprise to the teachers of Alberta, says Bauni Mackay, president of the Alberta Teachers' Association. Parents Propping up Inadequate Public School Funding Students press Klein for funding It's hard to compete, premier told Alberta's colleges and universities need more funding to ensure graduates are prepared for the next millennium, student leaders told Premier Ralph Klein Tuesday. Rising tuition rates and a brain-drain of faculty make it tough for Alberta graduates to compete, said Sheamus Murphy, president of the University of Alberta Students' Union. About 20 student representatives from across the province met with Klein and Advanced Education Minister Clint Dunford to lobby for increased funding in next year's budget. Klein keen on credits for 'green' industries Schools lead way in new program of retrofits Corporations should be able to gain credits for action on global warming as they contribute to a new energy efficiency program for schools, says Premier Ralph Klein. But details on what those credits should consist of will be part of federal-provincial discussions in Halifax next week, he added, while announcing creation of the school program. "There should be an acknowledgment of efforts made by industry to date on greenhouse gas reductions," Klein told reporters. Under the program, a total of 1,500 schools across the province could benefit from retrofits of energy systems that help reduce their power and heating bills, the premier told a gathering at St. Vincent Catholic elementary school. Lougheed rates education ahead of balanced budgets Former premier Peter Lougheed broke ranks with the Klein government on key policy issues Thursday. In a speech to Edmonton business and academic leaders, Lougheed placed education ahead of balanced budgets and said there is a time and place for government intervention in the economy. Public Opposed to Business Parnterships with Edmonton Public Schools Survey Says However, the school board shouldn't go looking for more money from private businesses, an idea floated by board administrators early this year. According to the survey, 55 per cent of respondents said they are against "schools accepting funding from businesses in exchange for endorsements/advertising." That's up from 53 per cent in 1997 and 47 per cent in 1996. "I think it's an idea whose time has not yet come," school trustee Bill Bonko says of private funding. Need to shut 44 schools to build one, board says Overall utilization rate too low to justify new construction It's impossible to close enough empty or under-used public schools so new ones could be built where they're needed, says Edmonton public school board chairperson George Nicholson. The city's overall utilization rate for public schools is less than 75 per cent. It would have to be 85 per cent or more before the province will pay for new school construction, he said. According to board figures, that would mean shutting about 44 schools, many in older neighbourhoods, and displacing about 8,700 students. Aspen View teachers vote to strike Aspen View teachers have voted 97 per cent in favor of taking strike action. The vote was conducted September 28 at various schools throughout the division. Earlier this month, teachers unanimously rejected the school board's latest offer for a collective agreement for the 1997/98 and 1998/99 school years. Salary is the main issue in dispute. The board's offer would have left Aspen View teachers substantially behind teachers in other school jurisdictions by the end of the 1998/99 school year. It also would have denied many experienced teachers retroactive pay. Aspen View teachers authorize strike vote 1998 09 16 - Aspen View teachers have unanimously voted in favor of applying for a government-supervised strike vote. The authorization vote was conducted September 15 at a general meeting at Boyle School. Before taking the vote, teachers unanimously rejected the school board's latest offer for a collective agreement for the 1997/98 and 1998/99 school years. Salary is the main issue in dispute. Teacher negotiators say the offer would leave Aspen View teachers substantially behind teachers in other school jurisdictions by the end of the 1998/99 school year. It would also deny many experienced teachers retroactive pay. Teachers of Canadian Rockies Regional Division No 12 authorize strike vote 1998 09 09- At a meeting in Canmore Tuesday evening, teachers employed by the Canadian Rockies Regional Division No 12 voted 95 per cent in favor of taking a strike vote in the near future. Teachers in the Bow Corridor have been bargaining for more than a year to reach a collective agreement for 1997/98. Just prior to the authorization vote, teachers also voted 90 per cent in favor of rejecting a proposal for settlement from the school board that had been verbally conveyed to teacher bargainers through the provincially-appointed mediator. The trustees had been unwilling to table a written proposal at a bargaining meeting held on June 22. ATA NEWS EDITORIAL:Are unions antiquated? Is membership in a union really outdated? The answer, despite right-wing rhetoric, is simply "No!" Volume 33, Number 4 Publication of The Alberta Teachers' Association September 29, 1998 All across Alberta World Teachers' Day celebrations are underway World Teachers' Day October 5, 1998 TalkTV:Charter Schools Newsworlds Telephone Talk Show. This one was broadcast September 22 and was on Charter schools. Your Editor was online speaking against charter schools as a right wing attempt to privatize public education. The page provides a message board for discussion. Busing in the 'burbs Angry and frustrated parents in suburban Edmonton are demanding the public school board consider shutting down under-utilized schools in older neighbourhoods to open the way for the construction of "desperately" needed schools in newer subdivisions. Supporting their politically charged and controversial argument is Education Minister Gary Mar. Most trustees seek re-election Fort Saskatchewan - On paper, they are the most powerful school trustees in Alberta, with the constitutional right to raise and collect taxes. Due to provincial funding regulations, however, it's a right Catholic trustees have chosen not to exercise, leaving them as financially powerless as their public school counterparts. But that hasn't discouraged the majority of trustees with Edmonton Catholic Schools from seeking another three-year term in the Oct. 19 civic election. Creative arts program may grow Calgary's public school board may expand its unique creative arts program after turning away dozens of students this fall. At Tuesday's public board meeting, trustee Teresa Woo-Paw will ask district administrators to explore the feasibility of opening a second creative arts program in north Calgary. The only one of its kind in the province, the creative arts program at Milton Williams School, 92 Malibou Rd. S.W., provides students with the opportunity to learn Alberta curriculum through the arts. School a lesson in racism for young blacks Edmonton's black kids know all too well that Canada's not exactly a kind and gentle multicultural paradise. They learn early on in school that they are different -- black people in a predominantly white world. For many it begins with painful racial slurs, hurled at them in elementary or junior high school. For others it's simply the realization that they don't completely fit in. Or that they're being watched, whether by mall security guards, school officials or others, and judged on the basis of stereotypes: Blacks are troublemakers; Blacks are good athletes; Blacks are poor students. Now local author Jennifer Kelly has documented how race affects the way black students experience school and life. Kelly extensively interviewed 49 blacks at two city high schools for her master's thesis in educational sociology. That study has now been turned into a book, titled Under The Gaze, Learning to be Black in White Society. Calgary Parents decry lack of school candidates A dearth of civic election candidates for Calgary's school boards is alarming and bodes ill during a critical time for education, says the head of Calgary's largest parents' group. With Monday's nomination deadline fast approaching, just 11 publicly declared candidates are running for seven trustee seats on Calgary's public school board. "It's a frightening scenario," said Colleen Connelly, president of the Calgary Council of Home and School Associations, the city's largest parents' group. PUBLIC EDUCATION FACES FUNDING CRISIS IN ALBERTA For parents the fund-raising never stops Schools rely on everything from casinos to chocolate drives to pay for 'extras' like Internet access Edmonton schools are facing a growing reliance on the new three Rs -- receipts, raffles and retail. Parents and staff say they need to raise more and more money to provide everything needed for a complete education. Volunteers at the city's public and separate schools helped bring in $24.6 million last year, according to provincial figures. Many feel they have to fill the gaps left by cuts in government spending. "I just find that most middle-class families are fund-raised to death," said Marianne Andresen, who volunteers at J.A. Fife elementary school in Kilkenny. "If I wanted to do it, I could make it a full-time job." $120M raised for schools Gov't planners expect parents to hustle for classroom cash Hosting raffles and putting on casino nights, peddling chocolate bars and doling out baked goods for quick cash are among the reasons that coffers at Alberta's schools have grown by almost $120 million. But according to some parents, the money is going for essential materials like books and computers -- not just for classroom perks. "Parent groups in Calgary talk frankly about raising money for textbooks and paper," said Liberal education critic Don Massey. "You name it, schools are into it. They have no choice." Mystery man donates $70,000 to fund new school Edmonton - Thanks to a $70,000 gift from an anonymous donor with deep social concerns and even deeper pockets, 17 students at the inner-city Norwood elementary school are attending the "Disneyland version" of kindergarten. In addition to new tables and chairs, fresh-from-the-box educational toys and newly constructed shelves stuffed with colourful books, the students will soon receive a 52-inch TV, a VCR and four state-of-the-art computers. More important, the children are getting something not available at any other regular public school in Alberta: a full day of kindergarten five days a week. Lottery board 'overwhelmed' by applications The board charged with doling out $11.2 million in VLT and other gambling money in Edmonton has been swamped with thousands of requests for a slice of lottery pie. The Edmonton's Community Lottery Board was inundated with proposals Friday, the last day for applications. By the time the 4 p.m. deadline passed, applications in boxes, binders and envelopes were stacked three feet high on each of the four desks in the lottery board's office on the 6th floor of the downtown library. The Edmonton public school board wants to return some VLT money to inner city neighbourhoods. It has submitted a $398,000 proposal for a two-year, early-literacy program aimed at children and parents in 12 of its most high-needs schools. Gloria Chalmers, a consultant with the public school board who put the application together, said the public board feels strongly that education should be funded directly. "But with the cuts to education and our commitment to kids, we can't afford to turn it (the lottery money) down," she said. The schools that set Alberta apart There are only nine but they stir passions by challenging the status quo. Why not book a charter? Alberta is the only province so far to bring in its version of the U.S.-inspired educational experiment. Even in Alberta, though, charter schools still stir passionate responses. Catholic teachers accept contract Edmonton Catholic school teachers voted overwhelmingly Monday to accept a new two-year contract . About 1,400 teachers voted for the deal in a show of hands while an estimated 50 voted to turn it down, said union negotiator Fritz Kropfreiter. "It wasn't a vote about money or working conditions -- it was a vote about principles and once those principles had been addressed, there was nothing to hold the members back from voting for the collective agreement," said Kropfreiter. Edmonton Catholic School Board & its Teachers expected to ratify new pact Edmonton Catholic teachers may not go on strike after all. During the latest round of contract negotiations the teachers and the Catholic board reached an agreement Sept. 8 that is likely to be ratified. Maurice Lacroix, president of the Catholic Teachers' Local 54, would not release details of the agreement but said he expected the majority of the teachers to support it. Government announces new direction for providing school facilities considering public-private partnerships for providing new schools and re-using excess school spaces. Grand Prairie Parents calculate the cost - and grumble Ian Campbell is already dreading the first day of school a year from now. That's when his twin daughters enter Grade 10 - and it's the day he has to shell out more than $200 for two graphing calculators on top of school fees, extracurricular sports costs, school supplies and new clothing. When Campbell first got wind of the new required calculator for high school math, he went to a store to check out the price - about $120.The city man has launched a letter campaign at the two local MLAs and the education minister protesting the high cost, saying it should be borne by the education system, not school boards or parents. New math curricula introduced this fall requires the graphing calculator for Math 10 Applied and Math 10 Pure and the following Grades 11 and 12 math courses. School by Mar's riding goes to top of list Calgary public school trustees demand the Alberta auditor-general investigate a new Catholic school they said has jumped the queue for political reasons. The school, to be located on the boundary of Education Minister Gary Mar's riding, was approved ahead of projects on the public and Catholic boards' priority lists. The school is part of a deal that allows a fourth new charter school that was desperate for space to open in Calgary by taking over an older Catholic-owned school by September 1999. No perks or power and lots of headaches Edmonton - They get little recognition, no perks, can't remember when they last got a pay raise and their political power has been stripped by the province. Yet, the vast majority of trustees with the Edmonton public school board are running for re-election in the municipal elections Oct. 19th. It's an anonymous race," says University of Alberta political scientist Jim Lightbody. "No one knows and few people care." "The job has always been a thankless one," agrees Frank Peters with the university's department of educational policy studies. "But it's becoming even more thankless now." Six EIPS trustees going for re-election Ford, King and Jones not to return New school board super arrives in Whitecourt Former Edmonton Public School Board principal now superintendent of schools Whitecourt: Principal rumours doused St. Joseph and St. Mary schools' students and parents have nothing to worry about. Alberta:Grande Prairie teachers settle at 11th hour the Grande Prairie Catholic School District and its teachers finally hammered out a new contract Sunday to avert a strike that would have begun this morning. The agreement brings to an end 18 months of bitter negotiations Northern Alberta Families face uncertainty with Seperate School Teachrs strike threat Grande Prairie's separate school teachers' ongoing dispute with their school board has created uncertainty among students and their parents.Teachers are set to strike August 31. Sides negotiating behind closed doors Union members, board trying to hammer out an eleventh hour-deal Fairview schools could close due to strike Grand Prairie Public teachers accept deal It's back to school for students in the Grande Prairie Public School District Monday. A strike was averted when teachers voted 83 per cent in favor of a contract for the 1997-98 school year. Elk Island Catholic teachers not in strike position Although the current agreement under which they have been working expires Aug. 31, school board chairman Ken Lesniak is optimistic the board and teachers association will have productive talks once negotiations get underway in mid-September. Teachers want 10% increase The threat of a public teachers' strike is looming large for the second straight year as Calgary students get ready to go back to school. The Alberta Teachers Association's contract with the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) expires at the end of this month and both sides are expecting a tough round of negotiations. Agreement doles out pay raise for GPRC teaching staff Grande Prairie Regional College's academic staff are finally getting a pay raise above their 1993 salaries. Wage rollbacks in 1993 were restored to the Academic Staff Association during negotiations last year. Wednesday, the college and ASA signed a contract calling for a salary increase of 3.5 per cent for the 1998-99 academic year. GPRC employees association ratifies agreement This is the first time in a few years, the college has been able to afford a pay increase. The employees association has negotiated an approximately four per cent increase in salaries and benefits. Discussion of kindergarten hours leads to heated debate in Grand Priarie School Board Kindergarten 'crunch' evident in Grand Prairie Year Round Schooling Begins in Edmonton Edmonton Schools rebuilding for 21st century Calgary Public School Board gets passing grade June 25 Calgary Sun Editorial Calgary: Foes target 'liberal' public school board trustees June 15 A Calgary parents' group is mounting a campaign to unseat "liberal" public-school trustees in the fall municipal election. Grand Prairie: Ball firmly in public school teachers' court, says local trustee June 12 Reinvestment in Education didn't deliver like it was sold: Leech June 12 Budget shortfall June 12 Funding drop puts Peace Wapiti School Board in the red Marathon talks see settlement...for now For Battle River Teachers June 10 Fairview: Catholic Schools Teacher strike appears likely June 10 Grand Prairie: Small boards will feel a hit from Edmonton's ASBA withdrawal: Blackburn June 11 Lethbridge:Future of school boards' association shaky June 11 Grand Paririe Public teachers Reject contract June 10 Edmontonians Reject Corporations in Public Schools Poll Finds June 10 Edmonton Public Schools Withdraw from ASBA June 10 ASBA has promoted contracting out of custodial and support staff work and provided the negotiator for the 9 week Custodial Strike in Calgary, See CUPE Local 520 Strike Support Page Grand Prairie Catholic School Board to hire more support staff June 10 Grand Prairie Public Teachers Poised to Reject Offer June 9 Lethbridge:Increased school funding to be put to the vote Increased school funding to be put to the vote The province's new funding formula for rural school busing has parents of Grande Prairie Christian School children fuming. Those living outside the city have been told they will have to pay the Peace Wapiti School Board somewhere in the range of $600 to $800 per student per year to transport them to classes in Grande Prairie.Last March, Alberta's private schools received a 20 per cent funding hike from the province, a move critics said spelled doom for public education. But Gerry Mazer, Peace Wapiti's superintendent, said if public boards knew the funding increase was coming with a substantial transportation cut, they may have tempered their reaction. "(The private boards) got something out of one hand and got it taken away by the other," he said, adding the board plans to meet with the Christian school board to discuss the issue. Tale of two Alberta towns that refuse to die Calgary Catholic Schools expanding Privacy protection? More red tape? The jury is still out at Grande Prairie schools on the newly-implemented Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP). Does this legislation effectively ensure students' privacy is protected? Or is it just another swath of red tape to cut through? U of A head may slow tuition hikes Massive annual tuition-fee hikes for University of Alberta students may become a thing of the past, hints institution boss Rod Fraser. In a meeting yesterday with The Sun's editorial board, the U of A president and vice-chancellor strongly suggested that the new $3,328 basic tuition fee - a $233 hike from 1997 - will rise slower in future years. School board votes down tax levy A resolution that would see the Wolf Creek School Division asking local municipalities for a three per cent tax levy was unanimously defeated at the School Board's Aug. 18 meeting. The proposed resolution drew the ire of many of the municipalities in the school division. Lacombe County, the Village of Alix, the Village of Clive, the towns of Ponoka, Eckville, and Rimbey and the County of Ponoka all sent letters against the move, and many sent representatives to the meeting. Safer ways to school with a committee's help The change in school bussing - students less than 2.4 kilometres from the school are no longer eligible for the free service - a committee is looking at the resulting concerns. Town of Whitecourt council passed a motion approving the establishment of and participation on the Safe ways to School committees at its Aug. 17 meeting. Strike is no bluff: Duffy Aug. 31 is D-Day for the Grande Prairie Catholic School District. If a contract dispute between teachers and the school board isn't resolved by then, teachers will go on strike."It's no bluff," says Pat Duffy, teacher negotiating subcommittee chairman. Grand Prairie Catholic school district chairman cautiously optimistic of settlement Wetaskawin: School board still debating levy question June 15 'Who in their right mind is going to support raising taxes?' Employee police checks now policy June 16 New employees of the Grande Prairie Roman Catholic Separate School District will now be required to undergo a police check. Privatizing Post Secondary Education Promoted by Univ. of Athabasca Prof. June 5 Northern Alberta Catholic Teachers negotiations stall June 5 ATA President Speaks Out Against Private Schools June 5 Fort McMurray Catholic Teachers Hold Strike Vote June 4 Elk Island Regional Public School board cuts ties to province's 1st charter school June 3 Grand Prairie: ATA President visit not to 'rally' teachers, she maintains June 3 ...But she did say teachers' demands are fair Edmonton Public School's survey focuses on public's view of system June 3 Fort McMurray: Catholic district cuts administrative position June 2 Public School Boards take Alberta Government to Supreme Court May 30 Peace River School Division looks at chopping costly bus service for half day ECS students May 26 Parkland School Division looks at increasing user fees for school buses May 26 Northern Alberta Catholic Teachers Vote To Strike May 22 Grand Prairie Separate school teachers OK strike Fort McMurray Catholic Teachers Support Strike But union is leaving door open for boards to reopen contract negotiations Calgary schools extend helping hands May 20 A growing number of well-off Calgary schools are donating parent-and student-raised funds to needy schools to help provide equal learning opportunities for students, education officials say. Mount Royal College Calgary makes learning business the bottom line May 20 Corporate culture promoted in post-secondary school hit by cuts Alberta Teachers avoid proposal to bargain as one unit May 19 Merit Pay Motion "Non-Confidence Vote" Against Teachers April 29 New Democrats Alarmed That Education, Labour Ministers Supported Motion Subverting Fair Bargaining Process Grand Prairie Catholic Teachers To Take Strike Vote May 21 April 24 Calgary Public School Board Review: School ads blasted by candidate Public school trustees are defending a full-page ad they placed in local papers, saying it's their job to communicate with the public. But declared candidates are calling it blatant campaigning with taxpayer dollars by incumbent trustees seeking re-election in October. Grads not prepared for work: survey June 8 Principal exodus worries Calgary parents June 7 Teachers push for tax hike June 6 Calgary Herald Tory Witch Hunt finds No Fault with Calgary Public School Board June 6 Calgary Sun Editorial on Public School Review June 6 Calgary Board of Education Review Team Releases Report June 5