SOFA

Hundreds of people protested at the Legislature in Edmonton this past Sunday regarding funding cuts in Education.  

According to a report by the Edmonton Journal, approximately 350 teachers will be laid off at the Edmonton Public School Board as a result of a funding shortfall.   It is concerning this will happen despite a decision by the Alberta Government to spend approximately $550 Million on new schools.

To read the full article, CLICK HERE.

On Saturday, May 28th, the Alberta Party held their first leadership convention in Edmonton at the Shaw Conference Center.    For more information on the convention, CLICK HERE.

Congratulations to Glenn Taylor for winning the leadership race!  SOFA looks forward to discussing education with you in the near future.

How committed are each of the candidates to public education, specifically fine arts education?  If elected, will they provide enough funding to ensure our programs remain vibrant? 

To help you determine who to vote for in each of the PC Party, Liberal Party, and Alberta Party leadership races, we thought we would ask the candidates a number of questions.  We also asked the current leaders of the Wildrose Alliance and NDP parties.

Letters were sent to each of the candidates via email or fax (if available) on April 22nd.  We asked them to respond by Friday, May 6th. 

Check out the responses that have been provided below by each of the candidates/parties as of the date of this post.

PC PARTY - website

The PC Party does not appear to have a policy on Education.  However, there is a list of education action items they’ve outlined in their “Platform Book.”  To view it, CLICK HERE and search for ‘education’.

 LIBERAL PARTY – website

NDP PARTY

If you are interested in reading the NDP Party’s policy on education CLICK HERE. To read their policy on the Arts, CLICK HERE

WILDROSE ALLIANCE PARTY

If you are interested in reading the Wildrose Alliance Party’s policy on education, CLICK HERE

ALBERTA PARTY- website

If you are interested in reading the Alberta Party’s policy on education, CLICK HERE and look for the applicable section.

We encourage our SOFA members and readers of this website to closely examine the above responses and websites to determine how committed each candidate and party is to public education, specifically fine arts education.  This will assist you in determining who to vote for in each leadership race and in the next Provincial election.

SOFA would like to sincerely thank each of the leadership candidates and Party leaders who took the time out of their busy schedules to respond to our questions!

On April 27th, Education Minister Dave Hancock introduced Bill 18 – The Education Act for 1st reading at the Alberta Legislature.  For more information, please see the posting below.

SOFA has learned the above Act will likely get a 2nd reading on Thursday this week.  However, we’ve also heard the 3rd and final reading will not likely occur until as late as March of 2012.  This will be well after the next Premier has been selected and possibly a new Education Minister.

It is also very possible Bill 18 never gets passed by the Alberta Legislature.  Without this happening, it is unlikely we will see any significant improvements to our education system or additional funding in the near future. 

We encourage you to write to your MLA and express any concerns you have.  CLICK HERE for a list of MLA email addresses and contact information.  If you don’t know what riding you are in, CLICK HERE.

If you have any comments for us, please let us know by using the “Comments Section” below.

On April 27th, Education Minister Dave Hancock intruduced Bill 18, The Education Act for first reading by the Alberta Legislature. 

In an email communication Mr. Hancock sent out to all of the key education stakeholders (ie. School Boards, ATA, School Council Associations, etc.), he states the following:

“.…Today I was honoured to introduce in the Alberta Legislature, Bill 18, The Education Act for first reading. View the news release here.

This is a monumental piece of legislation that was the result of significant public engagement, stakeholder collaboration and robust policy discussions. The journey to arrive at this day was long, but exciting and inspiring as we continue our work to transform for tomorrow Alberta’s education system.

I want to thank each of you for your leadership, input and support as we went through the very meticulous deliberation and drafting of this legislation. In particular I want to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to Alberta Education staff who have led this exercise over the past two years.

With the introduction of the Act today, we have a number of information resources available online that will answer many of your questions about what’s changing and why. I encourage you to share these resources with your school communities. Visit www.education.alberta.ca/educationact for more information.

In the coming months, the ministry will be engaged in face-to-face discussions with many education stakeholders on the intent and impacts of the proposed Act. As well, an online engagement forum will provide Albertans an opportunity to learn more about the Act, and contribute to discussions about education in Alberta and how new legislation can help us achieve our vision for student success. Visit our engagement site at www.education.alberta.ca/engage to join the conversation.

This is an exciting time for education in Alberta, one that we will look back in history and know that we all played a part in making happen.”

Please stay tuned for further updates and how this could impact fine arts education in Alberta.

SOFA is pleased to advise the Calgary Board of Education has created a fine arts task force to review, “…the philosophy and direction of Fine Arts Education in Alberta with specific focus on the implications and management of the Instrumental Music Program from Kindergarten to Grade 12 within the Calgary Board of Education (CBE).”

Cathy Faber (Superindentent of Learning Innovation) is heading up this task force along with Jane Rogerson (Area 5 Director).  In addition, the following people have agreed to be on the task force:  Jon Anderson (Finance), Sandra Snow (Purchasing), Christine Davies (Human Resources), Theresa Lewis (Principal, Elementary Schools), Bruce Johnston (Principal, Junior Schools), Jeff Turner (Principal, Senior Schools), Kerry Martens (Fine Arts Teacher), Paul Mulloy (Fine Arts Teacher), Jim Finkbeiner (Fine Arts Teacher), Tammy Watt (Fine Arts Teacher), Lyle Bennett (SOFA Co-chair), Sam Gregory (Grade 12 honors student, SOFA Executive Committee member), Heather Kniss (Parent Representative), and Charlene Lazaruk (Parent Representative).

This task force was set up by Cathy at the end of February, 2011 and meets every Friday afternoon. 

Recently, the CBE created a fine arts task force website to keep parents, students, teachers, and the general public informed.  Some of the content on the website is still under construction.  However, if you are interested in learning more about the task force or reading the minutes from each of the meetings, please click on the following link:  www.cbefinearts.org.

We appreciate the support that Cathy Faber has provided in setting up the task force with the goal to enhance fine arts education at the Calgary Board of Education.

How can you help ensure a strong voice for SOFA in electing “Arts Education Committed” candidates as leaders of our Provincial political parties?

Over the next few months a number of Alberta’s Political parties (PC’s, Alberta Party, Liberal Party) will be choosing their new leaders in preparation for the next Provincial election. These leaders are key in setting the policy directions of their parties and will have a significant impact on Education in general and Arts Education specifically. Please ask yourself, “How can I influence the selection of a leader who is committed to Arts Education?” The simple answer is join the party and vote for the leader who will be an advocate for comprehensive Arts Education in K-12.

Incidentally, did you know that you could join more than one party and vote for their leader? Can you imagine what an impact that would have!

It is simple to get started.  Here are the links to join on line:  Progressive Conservative Party - Alberta Party - Liberal Party  .   

For more information about how to join a political party and what being a political party member entails, check out our FAQ’s by clicking here.

Be the change you want to see.  Join all three political parties and help influence who the next leader is.  

Get involved Alberta!

On April 6th, 2011, the Calgary Association of Parents and Student Councils (CAPSC) hosted a meeting at AE Cross High School with Education Minister Dave Hancock, CBE Chief Superindentent Naomi Johnson, and CBE Board of Trustees Chair Pat Cochrane.  Approximately 300 people attended including SOFA Committee members.  All of the media outlets were out in full force.   If you are interested in reading the Calgary Herald’s article on the meeting, CLICK HERE.

During the first 20 minutes of the meeting, Minister Hancock defended the Government’s recent education budget and spoke about what he is trying to do with the future of education in Alberta.  This includes placing more emphasis on student centered personalized learning and equipping students with the skills necessary to survive in the 21st century.  During the next 35 minutes, both Pat Cochrane and Naiomi Johnson spoke about the significant impact the recent budget will have on students this fall. 

For the balance of the meeting, each of the panelists addressed very direct and pointed questions from parents.  As expected, Minister Hancock took the brunt of the complaints and frustration.  One parent asked how he was planning on personalizing the learning for students and implementing the components of the Inspiring Education strategy with a funding shortfall.  He did his best at answering the question and defending the budget.  However, he appeared lost for words and was not able to provide much of an answer at all.  He did state however, “this wasn’t the budget I hoped for either”.

In reality, Mr. Hancock is doing his best to provide funding for school boards.  He is also trying to revamp the education system so that students are more engaged, more likely to stay in school (Alberta has one of the highest high school dropout rates in Canada) and better equipped to handle the challenges of the 21st century.  

So why was he not as successful as everyone would have liked?   He did not have the full support of the former Finance Minister and others within the legislative caucus.  SOFA has learned that Minister Hancock made a number of attempts to receieve more funding.  However, he was not successful due to all of the competing funding requests including health care.

According to an article in in the Calgary Herald several months ago, approximately 80 percent of Albertans surveyed feel that health care is the main priority.  Only 2 percent felt that education was the main priority.   The irony of this – it is impossible to fix the healthcare system without a strong education system to train future doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals.

During the CAPSC meeting, one of our SOFA committee members publicly thanked Minister Hancock for his efforts at getting more funding and brought up the above Calgary Herald survey results.  Mr. Hancock made the comment, ”Albertans will have to decide on the value they place on having a strong education system.”

So the question remains … what value do you place on our education system in Alberta?   Enough value to do something about it? 

We encourage you to write to your MLA and express your concerns.  CLICK HERE for a list of MLA email addresses and contact information.  If you don’t know what riding you are in and wish to contact your MLA, CLICK HERE

We also encourage you to get involved with the current leadership campaigns (PC Party, Alberta Party, and Liberal Party) and find out what the education policy is for each of the candidates.

In the end, those of us who are passionate about fine arts will only be successful if we are able to achieve the funding required and support of all school boards to ensure that fine arts education receives the respect and attention it deserves. 

If you have any comments you would like to share regarding this post, please use the comment section below.

Here are nine great reasons why we need to focus on our education system in Alberta and properly fund it:

• Alberta has a high level of drop out at high school. The data on drop outs from high school are very clear – 11.3% of students drop out overall (tied for 2nd overall behind Manitoba), 9.9% in cities (3rd overall behind Manitoba and Quebec), 17% in small towns (1st overall among all provinces) and 21.7% in rural areas (1st overall among all provinces).
• Alberta has the lowest high school to post-secondary transition rate of all provinces, with only 48% of high school students going to post-secondary education within four years of leaving high school – the national average is 62%.
• Literacy levels amongst those employed in Alberta are problematic – a 2006 study of the workforce (2.1 million persons) suggests that some 850,000 employees (40% of those employed) have a level of functional literacy below that required for the positions they occupy.
• Significant erosion in support to students with special needs – 41% of teachers report that, in 2009, services and support for special needs students declined in comparison to previous years[1].
• Student engagement in learning levels are low – A study by the Metiri Group (US) suggests that, on average, student engagement in their junior and senior high school work is less than 20%, with most behaving as tactically involved (51%), compliant (21%), withdrawn (5%) or defiant (3%). Data for Alberta from a number of Masters and doctoral studies shows this same pattern.
• Teacher turnover remains a concern – Average teacher turnover in Alberta is 38% over a four year period – just 62% of teachers remain in post four years after they began. Teaching (with the exception of those who teach students with special needs) is no longer a “top ten” Canadian job[2]. One third of new teachers express the view that they will leave the profession within five years of starting their first teaching position.
• The quality of the education systems physical infrastructure is declining. Each year the Government of Alberta assesses the fitness for use of Alberta school buildings, rating them on a simple scale from “good” to “poor” – since 2005, the number in the “fair” category has increased (from 25% to 29%) while the number in the “good” category has declined (from 73% to 67%)[3].
• Technology adoption levels are modest – Some 50% of Alberta school teachers use technology regularly and appropriately in their lessons[4], though recent research suggests that getting past this number will require significant investments in professional development and a freeing up of curriculum demands on teachers[5].
• Employers are becoming less satisfied with the outcomes of Alberta’s investments in education – In the tri-annual survey of employer satisfaction with the graduates (including apprenticeship graduates) of the post-secondary system, satisfaction declined from 94% in 2005-6 to 88% in 2007-8[6].

Information Source:

[1] Source: Alberta Teachers Association (2010) Looking Forward – Emerging Trends and Strategic Possibilities for Enhancing Teaching and Learning in Alberta Schools, 2009-2012. Edmonton, AB at page 9. [2] See http://www.alec.co.uk/free-career-assessment/top-10-most-popular-careers.htm for details. Accessed on June 5^th 2010. [3] Source: Government of Alberta (2009) Measuring Up – Progress Report on the Government of Alberta Business Plan [4] Murgatroyd, S and Couture, J.C (2010) Using Technology to Support Real Learning First in Alberta Schools. Edmonton, AB: The Alberta Teachers Association. [5] Meteri Group and the University of Calgary (2009) Emerge – One to One Lap Top Learning Initiative – Year One Report. Edmonton, AB: Government of Alberta, Ministry of Education. [6] Source: Government of Alberta (2009) Measuring Up – Progress Report on the Government of Alberta Business Plan.

The Calgary Board of Education (Alberta’s largest school board) recently announced they will have a $61.7 Million shortfall in next year’s budget due to the funding they received from the Alberta Government.   As a result, as many as 172 teaching staff members will likely be out of work this fall.  In addition, the Board announced they will be cutting approximately $24.9 Million in administrative and support staff.

Frustrated by the funding shortfall, Pat Cochrane (CBE Board of Trustees Chair) stated, “what we’re saying now is stop this nonsense. We need to have sustainable, predictable funding so we’re not going to go through these kinds of exercises on a regular basis.”

If you are interested in reading more about the cuts, please read a recent Calgary Herald article by CLICKING HERE.  You can also learn more from the Calgary Board of Education by visiting their website at:  http://www.cbe.ab.ca/New/budget11/default.asp.

Unfortunately, fine arts education is usually one of the first places that School Boards cut to reduce costs.   This time will be no different.  If you have kids at the CBE (or any other school board in Alberta for that matter), you can expect a significant impact this fall. 

Brace for impact…