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School Boards throughout Alberta want to ensure public education and the needs of Alberta students are part of the discussion during the ‘run-up’ to the approaching Provincial Election. April 4th was declared a Day for Education by the Alberta School Boards Association and in support of this initiative, Livingstone Range School Division is working to raise the profile of education in the Livingstone-Macleod riding during the election campaign.
On April 4th, the Day for Education, we contacted the Livingstone Macleod electoral constituents to find out their platform on education concerns by asking them to respond to the
following four questions by April 10th. We are hopeful the following questions will also become part of the conversation during the provincial election.
Following are the responses we received:
1) If you are the successful candidate, what would you advocate for and what priorities would you identify in education?
Evergreen Party, Larry Ashmore
No formal response.
Liberal Candidate, Alex Macdonald
We have announced the following:
- An end to school fees
- $100 million to early childhood education
- A province-wide school lunch program
- A $500 tax credit to teachers to recognize the contributions they make to their students from their own wallets.
- A program to progressively eliminate post-secondary tuition by 2025
- As to our platform on education, the Alberta Liberal platform can be found at http://www.albertaliberal.com/platform.php
New Democratic Party Candidate, Matthew Halton
No response
PC Candidate, Evan Berger
Currently the Alberta Education system is recognized as one of the best in the world. Our students continually out perform their peers both in Canada and globally –on international exams.
The first priority is to continue to build on those successes, for all Alberta students. To accomplish
this we must maintain the ability to offer all students rural or urban a broad range of programs.
Wildrose Party Candidate, Pat Stier
A strong Education system is essential to Alberta’s future. There are challenges we face as a growing province, but Wildrose is committed to ensuring Alberta’s children are ready to be leaders in a changing global economy
We commit to you that a WILDROSE government will deliver:
MORE…Parental Choice. WILDROSE will give principals, parent councils and individual schools more choice in selecting curriculum and teaching methods. We will also encourage the establishment of new public charter and other non-profit independent schools so long as they are open to all students and do not charge tuition. This will increase the educational choices parents have for their children.
Our complete Commitment to Education and our complete Education Policy is on main website at www.wildrose.ca
2) Rural Alberta is in experiencing decline in school enrollment. This includes Livingstone Range School Division. What measures are you planning on implementing to make certain that school boards can offer wide range of programs to rural students?
Evergreen Party, Larry Ashmore
No formal response.
Liberal Candidate, Alex Macdonald
We have announced the following:
- An end to school fees
- $100 million to early childhood education
- A province-wide school lunch program
- A $500 tax credit to teachers to recognize the contributions they make to their students from their own wallets.
- A program to progressively eliminate post-secondary tuition by 2025
- As to our platform on education, the Alberta Liberal platform can be found at http://www.albertaliberal.com/platform.php
New Democratic Party Candidate, Matthew Halton
No response
PC Candidate, Evan Berger
Enhancing the ability for all of our schools to utilize alternative program delivery methods such as online and video conferencing is taking place now, allowing a teacher to teach classes in multiple
schools at the same time. School boards are adapting with traveling labs for CTS programs
(welding, mechanics, etc), offering more programs to students in smaller schools. Costs to School Boards in transitioning to these new programs need to be supported and shared by Alberta Education, so we do not negatively impact funding of programs currently offered.
Wildrose Party Candidate, Pat Stier
We commit to you that a WILDROSE government will deliver:
MORE…Schools Where They’re Needed. WILDROSE will take politics out of determining where to build new schools. Money for new schools will be allocated using an objective funding formula that accounts for community and student growth rates…not based on the political clout of politicians at the provincial Legislature.
3) How would you envision the effective implementation of wrap around services within local schools? What needs to be done to achieve this?
Evergreen Party, Larry Ashmore
No formal response.
Liberal Candidate, Alex Macdonald
We have announced the following:
- An end to school fees
- $100 million to early childhood education
- A province-wide school lunch program
- A $500 tax credit to teachers to recognize the contributions they make to their students from their own wallets.
- A program to progressively eliminate post-secondary tuition by 2025
- As to our platform on education, the Alberta Liberal platform can be found at http://www.albertaliberal.com/platform.php
New Democratic Party Candidate, Matthew Halton
No response
PC Candidate, Evan Berger
Many of our schools have unused or underutilized space which could be used to provide more services within the existing building envelope. Programs provided under the Human Services ministry which are complimentary to education such as Early Childhood Services and others could be accommodated in the same building. Future modernizations of schools need to include plans to enable joint uses.
Wildrose Party Candidate, Pat Stier
We commit to you that a WILDROSE government will deliver:
MORE…Improved Student Learning & Assessment. WILDROSE will work with teachers and other education experts to transition from the current Provincial Achievement Testing to an assessment model that more effectively evaluates student progress throughout each year, promptly identifies areas of concern that a student needs immediate support with, and allows students the flexibility of associating with their peer groups without being pushed through levels of curriculum regardless of whether they adequately understand it or not; MORE…Support for Students with Special Needs. WILDROSE will ensure that parents of students with special needs, with the support of educational experts, are given maximum flexibility to determine how special needs funding will be used for the benefit of their unique child.
The current one-size-fits-all PC approach does not adequately support children with special needs
4) Over the last two years, the Education Budget announcements for the Livingstone Range School Division have decreased funding by $1.32 million, then $864,000 was added back, that amount was replaced with $1.2 million, then reduced by $350,000 and finally after next year the budget will be reduced again by $790,000. The end result is a reduction of $1.26 million. This has a huge negative impact on our rural school division and our schools’ ability to meet the needs of our students. What commitments will you make to support Livingstone Range School Division to continue to provide quality education for our students?
Evergreen Party, Larry Ashmore
No formal response.
Liberal Candidate, Alex Macdonald
We have announced the following:
- An end to school fees
- $100 million to early childhood education
- A province-wide school lunch program
- A $500 tax credit to teachers to recognize the contributions they make to their students from their own wallets.
- A program to progressively eliminate post-secondary tuition by 2025
- As to our platform on education, the Alberta Liberal platform can be found at http://www.albertaliberal.com/platform.php
New Democratic Party Candidate, Matthew Halton
No response
PC Candidate, Evan Berger
Budget 2012 gives School Boards sustainable, predictable, and long term funding.
Base grants and class size grants are being increased by 1% this year and 2% for the each of the
2 out years as well 107 million cut in February has been restored. Rural transportation grants have been increased by 2% and the fuel price contingency fund has been extended. I think we need to monitor on behalf of both Alberta Education and School boards and plan to mitigate the effects of declining enrolment budget losses to rural School Boards without negative impact to programs in place now.
Wildrose Party Candidate, Pat Stier
We commit to you that a WILDROSE government will deliver:
MORE…Education Funding. WILDROSE will find tens of millions of new dollars to invest in education by cutting wasteful spending such as health executive bonuses, cabinet salary increases and grants to corporations including the $2 billion carbon capture and storage boondoggle.
MORE…Teachers for Our Children. WILDROSE will ensure local school boards have the money and authority needed to hire more teachers by providing boards with stable and predictable long- term education funding and granting them the authority to negotiate teachers’ salaries at the local level.
Livingstone Range School Division
Editor's note: For those candidates who have not responded to this list of questions, in the spirit of fairness the Voice offers you the opportunity to do so, and to have those responses published by us.
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