This is an email that is being circulated around out city with the hopes of encouraging parents to act now to speak out against the proposed Education Budget Cuts.
I am very surprised to read the part about 70% of funding for private school comes from the government.
Here is the link to the Government website….http://education.alberta.ca/parents/choice/private.aspx . The Government funds 70% of the cost of students attending funding private schools.
Please share this information with other concerned Alberta Parents. DEADLINE IS FEB 28th!!!
***********************************
Here is the email that was sent out to our community for distribution:
Hi everyone, Jackie (one of the lawyers I work with) sits on School Council and learned at the meeting last night that private schools receive 70% of their funding from the government – which means for those of us with kids in the public and or catholic school system, we are also funding kids whose parents choose to put them in private school in order to keep their tuition costs down. Please see Jackie’s email below and feel free to disseminate to your community as well. I encourage you to complete today (deadline is February 28th) the Budget Survey on the Government's website at http://alberta.ca/Budget.cfm . And also email to contact the Minister, your MLA and trustee (see Jackie's email at the bottom) For us in the the NW (Tuscany) here are some emails: The Minister of Education's email is : Calgary.elbow@assembly.ab.caMLA Sandra Jansen: calgary.northwest@assembly.ab.ca Councillor Ward 1, Ward Sutherland: Ward01@calgary.caCalgary Catholic School Board Trustee - Serafino Scarpino: trustees@cssd.ab.caCalgary Board of Education Trustee, Joy Bowen-Eyre: jmboweneyre@cbe.ab.ca
Regards Concerned Parent (name has been removed)
***********************************
Here is the email that was sent out to their local Parents:
From: Jackie L. Sent: February 27, 2015 11:45Subject: Education Budget Cuts
Hello all: I am reaching out to my greater community - those who I know support the public and separate (Catholic) school systems here in Calgary. I am on the School Council and attended a meeting with the CBE trustees last night. The outlook is grim. The initial forecasts are a 9% budget cut for the metropolitan areas.
So I am encouraging you, if this is of concern, to contact the Minister, your MLA, your trustee. The Minister of Education's email is : Calgary.elbow@assembly.ab.ca. For those of you in Area IV of the CBE, for ease, the other emails are:
Trina Hurdman, Trustee: tdhurdman@cbe.ab.caCalvin Davies, Area IV Director: areaIV@cbe.ab.caMLA Mike EIlis: mike@mikeellis.ca
I am also encouraging you to complete the Budget Survey on the Government's website: http://alberta.ca/Budget.cfm. This is the last day to complete it.
Finally I have enclosed my email at the bottom of this message that I sent to them this morning. I confirmed at the meeting last night that private schools in Alberta receive 70% of their funding from the Alberta government - I know I was shocked to learn this, and you may be too.
Now is the time to speak up for our schools and our healthcare. Once March comes and the budget is passed, it will be too late.
Please feel free to disseminate to your community as well.
Thanks for your time and consideration.
Jackie"
***********************************
Here is the email that was sent out to their local representatives:
Jackie L.
to calgary.elbow, tdhurdman, areaIV, mike
Dear Sir:
I am writing to express my concern about the suggested budget cuts to K-12 education in the Province. The cuts simply cannot continue.
In a time when the Alberta Government is continuing to fund 70% of private schools in this Province, this is simply an unacceptable and unconscionable response. Now is the time to reallocate these funds back to where they belong – in the public system. I want my children to have the opportunities I had and my mother had as a citizen of Calgary – the success I achieved – through public education in Alberta. The only way this is possible is to ensure that tax payer dollars for education remain in the public and separate systems.
The continued cuts year after year have chipped away at education. Class sizes have swelled, schools are in disrepair because of deferred maintenance, and assessments for special needs take a minimum of 6 months. With this as the foundation today, I cannot fathom the state of the system with a further 9% cut.
While I acknowledge the fiscal challenges, budget cuts should not be the automatic response. All things should be on the table and I think funding for private education is something that goes unnoticed as it is unknown to many. The Government needs to be transparent and accountable for how money is being spent on private education rather than trying to justify further cuts to education and healthcare.
I am happy to expand on my concerns further if you wish. I feel it is my duty and obligation as a parent of two young boys, one in public primary eduation and as Vice-Chair of my school council to advocate for our children and their rights to a world-class education.
Sincerely,
Jackie L.
