Dr. Mel McMillan is a well known Edmonton Economist and Professor of Economics at the University of Alberta.  In May of 2010, he co-published a report detailing the Government of Alberta’s spending in a wide variety of areas over the past 20+ years.  

When reading his report, it is particularly interesting to note how much has been spent on education for kindergarten to grade 12 students.  According to Table C7 (on page 94 of the report), the Government spent $1,351 on a per capita basis in 1994, compared to $1,259 per capita in 2008. 

In other words, they spent $64.00 per capita LESS in 2008 than they did in 1994.

If you are interested in reading the full report, please CLICK HERE.  Please make sure to read the “K to Grade 12 Education Expenditures” section found on page 94 of the report (or 96 of the PDF file). 

Are you concerned about the the lack of funding for public education in Alberta?  Concerned enough 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

Fine arts education funding is always the first to get cut in our schools.  We can’t afford to have this continue. 

For the sake of our children…

We look forward to further dialogue with your government on public education especially as it relates to the fine arts.

Once again, congratulations!

Redford briefly discussed the success of her Safe Communities initiative which was developed through consultation with various stakeholders and that focused on prevention rather than punishments. She believes that we need a province that supports each child to feel connected to their community as they discover their own unique path to becoming a successful adult. She has seen many examples, especially in her work in South Africa where the arts were used to change communities.

The idea of allowing students to choose an education path other than university preparation was often repeated. Redford stated that students are not being given enough information or resources to pursue what they’re interested in and that our schools are failing to support those that may excel in areas other than the traditional academic streams. She doesn’t think that the Inspiring Education report, while an excellent document, went far enough in providing for the inclusion of all students within our schools. She says that there is a lot of education policy that needs to be brought forward and actually implemented. She is tired of people talking and writing about change, but being incapable of implementing it. Redford is more concerned about taking action to ensure that our students are adequately supported than in pleasing others with platitudes.

The Importance of Fine Arts in Education

Alison Redford believes that we need to think differently about arts and culture as a province. She does not believe that simply because we have  Minister of Culture and Community Spirit that we value the arts, especially within our schools. More funding will not correct this as it requires that the arts become a core value in education in order to create lasting change. She fears that due to the underfunding of education, school boards will continue to cut the arts when budgets are tight because we as a province do not accord enough importance on the arts. She agrees that “integrating the arts” into other subjects, rather than having them taught by specialists, is a cop-out that does not serve our students well. She also agrees that the competencies that students need to be successful in the future can be developed through a strong foundation in the fine arts. This would be of benefit to all students, and is the reason why she is happy to publicly agree that the fine arts should be a subject equally as important as math or science.

This not only applies to our K-12 education system, but also to our post-secondary institutions where Redford used the example of a cellist that had to go to Ontario to pursue further studies because there was not a program at U of A. She doubts that musician will ever return to Alberta and that we must do more to prevent the loss of our artists to other provinces because we do not adequately support their education here.

With regards to students not having the time to devote to their pursuit of excellence in the fine arts outside of school hours due to excessive homework in academic subjects needed to graduate from high school, Redford admitted that it is a concern, but that she didn’t have the answer. However, knowing that a problem exists is the first step towards solving it.

The Courage to Lead

Alison Redford gave many examples of how she has been able to bring people of very different viewpoints together in order to come up with a plan that they can all agree on. She said that a variety of perspectives need to be brought to the table and that trust must be established. She was adamant that it is time for us as Albertans to come together and know that we deserve better, we can do better, and that we should not accept anything less. Redford stated that people have lost faith in political leadership and that she is prepared to rebuild that faith firmly believes that, “When we come together in trust, we can do anything.”

The passion that Alison Redford displayed during her meeting with SOFA cannot adequately be represented in a written report. SOFA encourages you to watch one of the leadership forums that can be found on the PC website, or even better, the one hosted by the ATA and listen to the candidates talk about their vision for education in our province.

Thousands of people will scramble for tickets to fill the Saddledome, regardless of cost, to hear their favourite musical group. Some of the wealthiest people in the world are performers. Over 8,000 people dug deep into their jeans to attend the Andre Rieu concert in Calgary this week. What a magnificent treat! The incredible blend of instruments and voices created a rich banquet that fed my soul and transported my mind.

Music, in all its forms, brings joy, comfort, and healing to everyone and is a vital force in our lives from the cradle to the grave. Mathematics is important in creating the standard of living we enjoy and in understanding our world and universe. We need mathematicians. Both Music and Math serve valuable roles. It is argued that studying Math improves intelligence and there is research that suggests that studying music improves mathematic abilities.

I know one thing for sure. I don’t remember the advanced math concepts that I spent thousands of hours working on in school and university. Fortunately, this is unnecessary these days because computers quickly tell me what I need to know.

I would have appreciated a more balanced use of my school time so I could have become skilled in music, art, drama, storytelling; competencies that would improved my ability to cope with life in so many ways.

How can we change our current model of education to reflect the realities of life for the majority of our students? Can we put our creative minds together to consider how to transfer even a small amount of time and money from Mathematics to a Fine Arts curriculum that would empower all students and enrich their lives for a lifetime?

Respectfully submitted by
Vera Goodman,  B.Ed, M.A.

Vera is a Calgary based educator and best selling author.  She is also a SOFA executive member.  If you would like to connect with her, please do so via email at  vera@readingwings.com or website at www.readingwings.com

Fine arts and mental health

Gary Mar stated that arts can change the way we think and that it could be key in helping people deal with mental health issues. It is a way for people to express themselves and deal with issues in a personal way. He talked about the Calgary CHEERS project which teaches people with mental illness to speak about their personal experiences in a humorous way. A student in the audience later told his story about how he was often bullied and marginalized in school, which often led to depression. This student firmly believes that he would have become a terrible person if it was not for the fine arts.

The arts are key to global business success

Mar believes that the key to expanding global business is a firm understanding of the culture in which you wish to do business. He used the example of a property developer in Beijing, China who had never heard of Feng Shui and would have lost a lot of money on a project, had it not been for Mar’s educating him on the importance of Feng Shui in China. Mar also believes that Albertans should maintain their heritage languages and that we must make second language learning a priority in our schools. He said that the arts also have a role in helping other countries understand our culture, just as we must try to understand theirs.

The rise of the creative class

Gary Mar greatly admires the work of Richard Florida on the rise of the creative class as the driver of our economic engine. Mar stressed that we not only need to attract the creative class, but we need to ensure that our students are being well-educated so that we can transform our economy, which is based on non-renewable resources, into a sustainable knowledge-based economy. He used the example of how Finland, which is similar to Alberta in many ways, invested strongly in education and how this helped Nokia reinvent itself from its roots in paper and rubber to become the world leader in mobile phones. Mar is convinced that we can also reinvent ourselves, but it will require creative people, and creative people do not want to live in places that do not invest in arts and culture.

Fine arts funding in schools

During the question period, it was noted that fine arts programs are often the first to get cut when school budgets are tight and how the PC caucus has not demonstrated that they support greater funding for the arts. In response, Gary Mar returned to his roots, saying “What is past is prologue,” and stated that he has a strong track record of supporting the arts. He said that because of his extensive experience in various portfolios, he is able to see how the arts is connected in all of them, something that others may not be able to see. He is determined to come up with something that works for school boards, as each board has its own priorities. He especially wants to see First Nations education become much more culturally relevant and help those students gain an equal footing with other Albertans. With regards to an unsupportive caucus, Gary Mar used the following quote: “Whatever interests my boss always fascinates the hell out of me.” He firmly believes that caucus will follow whatever direction the premier wants to lead the province in and that just as he values the arts, so will an Albertan government led by him. He is not one of those who “know the cost of everything, but the value of nothing.”

Tom McCabe, president of Theatre Calgary and Chair of the Premier’s Arts Council, stood up and endorsed Gary Mar at the meeting, affirming that when Mar was the Arts minister that he was very supportive of the arts. Mar ensured that McCabe got the funding that he had requested and actually had him speak to the Alberta treasury board about the value of the arts in Alberta.

Bill 44

A student brought up how the passing of Bill 44 is limiting the fine arts, especially drama, where many works deal with complex social issues that would require parental notice before being able to be studied in schools. Gary Mar said that repealing Bill 44 is not on his list of priorities, but could be looked at in an overall context with other matters. However, he again pointed to his record and stated that he was in support of gay marriage and is a strong supporter of the Alberta Human Rights Commission. He says that it is especially important that schools be encouraged to have discussions about controversial subjects where students can explore these issues in a safe environment.

Is fine arts as important as math?

The last portion of the meeting was devoted to this question and will be the subject of a future blog post.

Thank you, Gary Mar!

SOFA wishes to thank Gary Mar for taking the time to meet with us and discuss the role of fine arts in our society and in our schools.

1. What is your vision for fine arts education in Alberta?
2. How do you see fine arts fitting within the education system?
   • for students in kindergarten to grade 12
   • for students at the university or college level

3. Do you support the Inspiring Action Initiative that was introduced by Minister Hancock? Please explain why / why not.
4. Do you believe the Alberta Government is currently providing the appropriate amount of funding for public education in kindergarten to grade 12? Please explain.
5. How do you propose to provide the funding required for the Inspiring Action Initiative, which is estimated to have a cost of at least $1 Billion?
6. If you were elected as the Premier of Alberta in the next provincial election, what would be your timeline to complete the Inspiring Action Initiative?
7. What is your commitment to increasing the importance of fine arts in education and society in general?

We received responses from Alison Redford, Doug Griffiths and a partial response from Gary Mar. Ted Morton did not respond to repeated requests, Rick Orman had not yet joined the race, and Doug Horner only provided the following:

I am not going to respond directly to the questions on the survey, but will say that I believe in the Inspiring Education report and in Minister Hancock’s approach to it. Funding decisions will be made after the policy and forward position have been made. I will also say that if we are to compete in a global economy, creative minds are an absolute must for us to support.

You can view the complete responses, as well as the responses by other Alberta political parties, on our website. However, it is sometimes useful to compare answers side-by-side (or one below the other), which is what we will do over the next few days. In answer to the question, “What is your vision for fine arts education in Alberta?” SOFA received the following:

Alison Redford

The fine arts are a key part of our children’s education, just as important as math, science and language arts. Creativity is more important in the job market than ever before and I believe that exposure to the arts is the best way for children to develop this ability. Unlike any other subject, fine arts encourages students to explore their creative urges, stretch their limits and articulate their innermost visions without reference to any external authority — basic training for innovators and freethinkers.

Doug Griffiths

Fine arts must play a critical role in Alberta’s education system to help students develop the skills and confidence needed in tomorrow’s knowledge economy. In order to develop a new generation of innovators and creative thinkers — the arts and the social sciences need to be combined with core science curriculum.

A Doug Griffiths’ government will support increased opportunities for all students in the areas of arts and fine arts, technology, second language acquisition, and out-­‐of-­‐classroom experiences by infusing these subject areas into the traditional curriculum. My government will ensure specialists are used to teach the arts and help incorporate fine arts into the teaching of other core subjects.

Gary Mar

Fine arts education produces the instrumental benefits you describe, and many more. I also believe that by being literate in the arts students become citizens whose lives are enriched by the intrinsic value of art. Education needs to have the ability and resources to foster, and encourage, the artfulness inherent in all people. This is important for the happiness of the individual, for the cohesion of the community and for the success of the economy. It is a fact that children who are exposed to culture during their school years tend to be more responsible citizens in later years in addition to achieving higher levels of education and employment in later life. The opportunity to engage in cultural activities should be an intrinsic part of the education system.

But there’s far more to an education system than test scores. This past Spring, Keray Henke, Deputy Minister of Education, gave a presentation to ASBA, the Alberta School Boards Association, in which he (according to Trustee Bowen-Eyre) explained that students who are not achieving our standards in Grade 3 are much less likely to complete high school. Early intervention and remediation would be necessary and appropriate in order to enable these students to improve their skills so that they would be able to re-engage in an authentic way and not be doomed to an educational experience of frustration and lack of achievement. But that’s not the current reality.

While our education system does very well for the majority of students, and we place well on international assessments, we do not serve all students equally well. We need look no further than high school completion rates. Alberta has one of the lowest in the country. Within Alberta, the most populous districts (Calgary public, Edmonton public and Red Deer public) are among the worst performers.

The educator Harold Rosen said, “You never judge a system by those who succeed in it. These people will likely succeed in any system. You judge it by those it fails.” At the ATA forum, Alison Redford made a similar statement: “The value of a society is best reflected in how we care for the most vulnerable.” Ted Morton agreed, saying, “The quality of a society is measured by: Do we take care of people who can’t take care of themselves?”

So instead of talking about how well our 15 year olds do on international tests, or debating how we could increase, decrease or redirect funding, we should instead be hearing from leadership candidates about the importance of meeting the needs of the almost 30% of students who aren’t completing high school in three years. In what ways are we failing these young people? When should we be detecting their difficulties and how should we respond? How can we ensure that all young people develop into healthy adults, prepared to function succesfully in our society?

Candidates Doug Griffiths, Alison Redford and Iris Evans on behalf of Gary Mar were asked about high school completion rates at a forum hosted by the Calgary Leadership Forum in Calgary yesterday (the other candidates were not in attendance). Alison Redford talked about the need for change in education to meet the needs of all students, not just those who plan to go to university. She talked about how we need to support students in finding and developing their passions, even if they lie outside of traditional academic areas. She would also like to raise the age at which students can return to school and complete their high school studies without having to pay tuition fees. Iris Evans, on behalf of Gary Mar, read a few points from his website education policy, but then veered off and mused about encouraging employers not to hire young people who have not graduated from high school in order to provide a greater incentive for them to stay in school. I am not sure if she raised this idea based on conversations with Gary Mar, or not. Doug Griffiths talked about how the system is failing many of our students, and how their needs are not being met in our current school structure. He stressed the need for greater flexibility and alternative methods of curriculum delivery. His policy also says that his government would seek to ensure that all students are successful in literacy and numeracy by grade three.

The forum was comprised of the following with the page numbers corresponding to our transcription:

Page 2: Opening Statements

Page 4: Alberta is world-renowned as a top-performing jurisdiction with regards to public education. What do you think of the system today, and what are your priorities for change that would help ensure continued excellence?

Page 7: This government promotes charter schools as a place where innovation and enhanced education take place. Alberta students are among the top-performing in the world – innovative and enhanced education is taking place on a daily basis in classrooms across Alberta. What is your view of the role of charter schools and to a further extent private schools in Alberta’s education system?

Page 9: A number of grants for school boards were reduced or eliminated in the 2011 budget. As a result, hundreds of teachers across the province were laid off in June. Will a government under your leadership reverse grant cuts to school boards and what principles will be used in the future to ensure stable, predictable and sustained funding for schools?

Page 12: What actions and policies do you believe are needed to help preserve the quality of rural education? What changes would be necessary to create a more equitable funding model for rural school divisions?

Page 14: The ATA has been the professional voice of teachers for over 94 years. The ATA is a unified organization with both union and professional functions representing all teachers in Alberta’s public, separate and francophone schools. Do you support the continuation of the association in its current form? And, what would your government do to further support the teaching profession in Alberta?

Page 17: The education environment, mounting student expectations, and shifts in provincial policy are increasing the demands made on our schools. One of the approaches explored in tripartite discussions this year was the restructuring of teacher time and workload to allow more professional development and collaboration. Would you support this direction?

Page 19: Teachers are often the first responders to mental health issues in children and youth. In what ways do you see the Ministries of Health and Education working together to address the mental health concerns of students?

Page 20: Sometimes it makes sense in a personal budget to run a deficit, in particular where the investment is worthwhile, like a post-secondary education or a house. What investments would you run a deficit budget to sustain, and which budget lines would you cut in order to sustain a balanced budget?

Page 21: What is your position on raising taxes and/or royalties to help address Alberta’s deficit or funding shortfalls?

Page 22: It seems as if the “progressive” part of the “Progressive Conservative” name has been lost since the days of Peter Loughheed built schools, roads and invested in the province’s long term future. In what ways does your platform define you as a progressive and as a conservative?

Page 23: Closing Statements

During the ATA forum held in Banff, the PC leadership candidates answered many questions about their various visions for the education system in our province. While they talked about the roles and needs of teachers, parents and students, they only mentioned school boards a handful of times. In only one case were school boards referred to as a stakeholder, and even then there was no mention of working with them. Stable and predictable funding was promised by more than one candidate. The role of funding within the education system is important, and the benefits of stable funding were given with reference to teachers, parents and students, but again school boards were neglected.

Simply neglecting to mention school boards does not indicate a lack of awareness or worse on the part of candidates. This was, after all, an ATA forum, put on by teachers for teachers. If there were a forum or even a questionnaire put forth by school boards, it would be more indicative of the candidates’ attitudes toward boards and their issues. In fact, the Alberta School Boards Association circulated a questionnaire to the leadership candidates of both the PC and Liberal parties. Only two candidates from each party, Gary Mar and Allison Redford of the PCs, even bothered to respond. The questions dwell on education system issues rather than the role of school boards, but the attitude of the candidates toward school boards can be glimpsed between the lines.

Perhaps more worrying is the fact that the leadership candidates talked about the education system as if all actions and outcomes were the responsibility of the provincial government. At no point did they discuss supporting or, better, strengthening school boards in their role of supporting local schools. This is reflected in their education policies, as posted on their websites. The candidates recommend engaging directly with parents and students, when it is usually the school boards that should provide that link. They talk about negotiating with unions, when that had been the role of school boards. They talk about improving communication and openness, and while the provincial ministry has room for improvement, this is where the school boards must also take action. If the leadership candidates see the role of the provincial government overlapping the role of elected school boards, that leaves little room for the school boards to take ownership of their responbilities.

Trustee elections are notoriously apathetic. In 2007, over 60% of trustee candidates were acclaimed and in 2010, 47% of candidate were acclaimed. Voter turnout is lower for trustee candidates than most others in the municipal elections. It is possible that the general electorate doesn’t see the importance of school boards any more than the PC leadership candidates do. But Gary Mar explains in his education policy why they’re important: “[L]ocally elected school boards … endeavour to find local solutions to local education issues.”

There is no one-size-fits-all education system that will work equally well in Calgary, Brooks, Hinton and Athabasca. That’s why locally-elected school boards must be given the space and support to adapt to the needs of the teachers, parents and students who function within the local system. The government could improve “outcomes” by strengthening local democracy, then engaging boards to provide the support that is required locally. Instead, it looks like the provincial government is destined to continue encroaching on the responsibilities of school boards until they become irrelevant.

Alison Redford has the most detailed website policy statement at 1326 words divided into seven different educational issues. These include: Putting students first, core strengths, no on no-fail, open doors always, special-needs students, schools and the community, and funding for schools.

Doug Griffiths, an award winning teacher, also has a detailed policy backgrounder of 778 words (after taking out the third section on post-secondary education). This includes ten specific ideas and examples of things he would change or improve. He also has a two and a half minute video summarizing his policy.

Gary Mar has a fairly detailed K-12 education policy with a press release of 466 words and a policy backgrounder of 612 words. The policy is composed of three parts: Ensuring students are prepared to compete, enhancing student success, and stable funding for a stronger classroom.

Doug Horner has a nine-point platform for his enhanced education policy of 565 words. Horner also has his platform open to questions and comments on the actual policy page to further the discussion.

Rick Orman has four commitments in his 183 word vision for K-12 education.

Ted Morton does not currently have K-12 education as part of “Ted’s Plan”, but his website states that he will be continually releasing his platform over the course of the campaign. Perhaps we may see it in the future.

Quantity by no means implies quality, but a quick glance at how much effort the candidates have put into creating a K-12 education policy does give an indication as to how much importance they attach to K-12 education.

How long does it take you to read 3,464 words? The future of our students may depend on it. Please inform yourselves and vote for our next premier on September 17, 2011. You can find more information about how to vote on the PC website.

If anyone is willing to do a similar series of posts for the Alberta Liberal leadership race, please contact SOFA. Unfortunately, we do not have the time to cover both races, although we encourage Albertans to inform themselves and vote for the new Alberta Liberal leader as well. (Yes, you can join as many political parties as you like.) You can find more information about the Liberal leadership contest on their website.