Six politicians vying for leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party took the opportunity to address Alberta’s teachers in Banff yesterday (Aug. 10).
While all expressed strong support for education to those attending the Alberta Teachers Association convention, only one committed to reversing funding cuts to public schools that saw boards axe teaching positions this spring.
Doug Griffiths said the cuts to education need to be reversed.
“Cuts to education is like selling the topsoil from the farm – that’s our future,” he said, adding community-based funding is needed.
Griffiths also criticized how school budgets and the province’s budget cycle are at different times of the year.
Rick Orman said one of the reasons people are angry at the government is because funding has been unpredictable and unreliable.
That said, he refused to make statements promising money to any department outside the budget process.
“I think it is offensive for leaders to commit to funding outside the budget cycle,” he said, adding it is glib to say grant funding will be restored. “The question is, can you trust the actions of people associated with the current government?
“My government will live up to our promises.”
Alison Redford said her education policy is based on long-term stable and predictable funding.
“That gives people in the system certainty to make long-term plans,” she said.
Gary Mar said just like health care and municipal governance, a sense of what kind of funding there is for at least three years is needed.
“You cannot plan unless you have some sense of what the funding would be,” Mar said.
Doug Horner advocated planning and budgeting for outcomes in education and using the province’s operational reserves if necessary. He was critical of giving the education minister a number to budget towards.
“Let’s fund for the outcome we are trying to achieve,” he said. “Build budgets around outcomes, not percentages.”
He said the labour aspect should be dealt with separately from what outcomes are wanted.
Ted Morton said he supports long-term contracts with teachers, but said more flexibility for economic conditions like the recent recession is needed.
Morton said underneath the issue of school funding is sound fiscal management. He said he does not want to return to the mid ‘90s when major cuts to the public sector by the Klein government were taken.
Morton recognized teachers as key to making Alberta one of the best school systems in the world, but also supported choice.
He said choice is key and with private schools, Catholic, public and charter schools all available, there is plenty of it.
Morton said enthusiasm in students encourages successful education and that is achieved by giving students choices between different education systems.
He also said he supports the 70 per cent subsidy the province pays private schools.
“Those parents pay the same taxes everyone else does,” he said. “I support the system that is in place in Alberta.”
Horner also supported choice and funding private schools. He said if public schools were funded appropriately there would be less concern over what private schools are receiving in funds.
Mar also supported funding and said he thinks the balance is right.
“The reality is the overwhelming majority of parents choose the public system and that is a choice they make consciously,” Mar said.
Orman said he thinks the province funds private schools to retain some control over that system and said it may be time to review that.
Griffiths came out against public funding for private schools.
“The bigger point is public funding should go to support public education,” he said. “If someone makes the choice to go to a private or to a charter school they make the choice to pay for it themselves.”
He did not support funding following students, saying when schools lose students they shouldn’t lose money.
“We should fund programs, not students,” he added.
Redford said the funding system creates a second tier in education and does not meet the needs of parents or students in the public side.
Orman said his campaign has three parts: accessible health care, excellence in education and safe communities.
He said when health care costs rise six per cent compared to three per cent growth in the province, it is not in the best interest of education.
“I’m not a career politician, but I was in cabinet for three years and I know what works and what doesn’t,” Redford said. “I bring to this race a plan for thoughtful change.”
The former justice minister pointed to building relationships with groups like the ATA as key to changing how things are done for the better.
She also pointed to Inspiring Education as a consultative process that worked well but failed at building the relationship between government, teachers, students and parents.
Mar, a former education minister, said education is about future prosperity for the province.
Mar said prosperity is more than oil and gas resource development, it’s focusing on children’s education as a future resource as well.
Horner advocated for a change in how decisions are made by government from a focus on dollars and dogma to compassion and integrity.
He said as leader he would focus on improving resources for professional development, maximize tools available for teachers and address other issues children face that often result in teachers as first responders.
Orman echoed that point, saying teachers are not police officers, social workers or nurses, but need access to those resources.
Mar said wrapping services that go beyond education around children through the school system is important.
He also supported early testing for learning disabilities and language skills.
