Alberta boasts some of the most diverse education choices in Canada. Yet a recent report says one properly funded school system would be an improvement over the current offerings of specialty schools.
The report, Choice in Alberta Education: Challenges and Opportunities for Public Schools, released by the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta (PSBAA), was welcomed by those who support a single system. It has been criticized by independent think tanks, charter schools and parent groups who support the current system of specialty schools.
In Alberta, parents can choose to send their kids to English and French-language public schools, separate schools (primarily faith-based), public charter schools, private schools or to home-school.
The report showed public schools continue to work toward increased program choice within individual boards that they see as restricted by a multi-layered system that limits how much funding they receive. It also revealed Albertans are divided on the best way forward.
“Although obstacles exist in implementing school choice, prioritizing program-based choice over choosing between school authorities at the systemic level can enable public schools to promote equity and inclusivity,” said Dennis MacNeil, president of the association.
‘History and tradition’
Sixty-six per cent of Alberta’s 766,000 students attend public schools, and about 23 per cent attend separate (predominantly Catholic) schools. Approximately five per cent are enrolled in private schools, and about 1.4 per cent are enrolled in charter schools, which has risen steadily since 2018.
The remainder of the student population are enrolled in francophone, early education, First Nation and other programs.
In terms of funding, Alberta charter schools receive 100 per cent of operational funding, while accredited private schools receive 70 per cent and home-schools receive 20 per cent.
Despite receiving public funds, both charter and private schools are autonomous and do not fall under the Alberta school boards’ administration.
The report, which was based on a literature review and interviews with eight superintendents of public school divisions, says funding would provide better education choice if it were allocated through one system.
But Alberta’s education minister Demetrios Nicolaides was steadfast in his government’s policy of facilitating options outside the public school system.
“We firmly believe that parents must always have the right to choose the kind of education they feel is best for their children,” Nicolaides said. “Alberta has a strong history and tradition of supporting choice in education, and our government will not waiver in that commitment.”
“Parents, not politicians or administrators, know what is best for their kids.”
Neil O’Shea, superintendent for Aspen Views Schools Division, a public school board north of Edmonton, says the government’s definition of “choice” in schools actually limits choice.
“Choice for parents does not always equate to more choice for students. In fact, what it does is limit the choice students have in school.”
“It becomes more difficult to offer in two systems what could be offered in one.”
Top-notch education
Issues such as rising enrolment, allocation of funding, accessibility, accountability and the right for parents to choose a system of education have been at the forefront of the debate over education in Alberta for years.
Since the right of parental choice was reaffirmed by the Choice in Education Act, which came into effect in 2020, Albertans have moved further apart in their views on education. The number of students enrolling at charter and independent schools has increased, while opposition to the multi-layered system — and its reported impact on public boards’ funding — has escalated.
Amanda Chapman, the Alberta NDP critic for education and services to children with disabilities, expressed the opposition’s concerns with Alberta’s current education policy.
“The vast majority of parents choose to send their kids to public schools,” Chapman said. “We also know that this government has chronically underfunded public education in Alberta.”
“Under the UCP, Alberta now has the lowest funding per student in the country and a growing crisis in the lack of learning spaces. Public school boards are increasingly unable to offer choice in their programming.”
A 2022 Fraser Institute study revealed that the province ranked ninth in per-student funding among the ten provinces. That figure is a drop from 2012-13, when the province ranked third.
The Choice in Alberta Education report, authored by Curtis Riep, who has a PhD in social justice, examined a “variety of mechanisms and strategies” put in place by Alberta public school boards to offer program choices and overcome challenges including ensuring appropriate staffing, especially in rural areas.
Brian Dijkema, president of the think tank Cardus, was critical of the report’s findings.
“What the public school board association is advocating for is something called programmatic choice,” Dijkema said. “So they are saying it is OK for you to have choice, as long as you do it in the public system.”
Dennis MacNeil responded to Dijkema’s criticisms on behalf of the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta.
“This ensures that every student regardless of their background can access a top-notch education tailored to their individual learning requirements. PSBAA believes that the public school system is the foundation for a strong Alberta.”
The Association of Alberta Public Charter Schools says charter schools “offer unique and enhanced programming that isn’t already available.” The report says the public system could offer the same unique and enhanced programs as charter schools if government funding was concentrated in one school system.
Caylon Ford, founder of Alberta Classical Academy charter schools, said her schools add to Albertans’ education choices.
“Charter schools are unique in that they are tuition-free and do not have geographic boundaries as most public schools do,” said Ford.
The report also argued that public schools are answerable to Alberta voters because they are represented by publicly elected school boards. Dijkema and Ford disagree with the report’s definition of accountability, stating that schools outside of public school boards are directly accountable to parents, who are part of the public and the electorate.
“The independent schools, the charter schools, are actually very public,” said Dijkema.
“They educate Albertan citizens, [students] graduate from these schools. They don’t exist in some cut-off world, they play in the same soccer teams as public school kids, they work in the same jobs.”
