The Alberta Government announced additional funding for independent (private) schools in a News Release this afternoon. The eligible schools must meet the provincial standards for accreditation that qualifies them for partial provincial funding and the schools must agree to additional public accountability measures.

Background information detailing the implications of this historic announcement and what it proposes for decision-makers in independent schools is available on the Alberta Education website at Alberta Education.

The Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta (AISCA) as an advocacy and service agency for the majority of independent schools is pleased that this government, under the leadership of Premier Ed Stelmach, has listened to the growing concerns of parents about treating choices for independent schools more fairly. A more just allocation of resources makes this decision historic.

The conditions announced for the funding also may mark this day as a historic cross-road for another reason. Independent schools deeply value the need for reasonable autonomy when it comes to operational freedom. They accept high levels of accountability to their local public, the parent and student community they serve. They accept that they need to meet certain requirements established in legislation provided that any limitations are reasonable.

If increased centralization and administration diminishes local responsibility and creates barriers to effective program delivery because some external demands are not relevant to what is important in their particular school setting, then those who govern independent schools may have some difficult decisions to make regarding the proposed framework. Independent schools do not want to be clones of public school processes that may impede their ability to manage and educate effectively. For that reason many operators strenuously avoid centralizing tendencies that detracts from meaningful management and educational delivery at the local level. Some of the Dynamics to Acknowledge

1. Increased funding should enable more parents to select the kind of school they believe is best for their child’s education. This decision respects the role that parents play and improves school choices while honoring parental rights more fully.

2. The preamble to Alberta’s School Act states that, “the education community in making decisions should consider the diverse nature and heritage of society in Alberta.” This decision by the government helps preserve that fundamental spirit and heritage. The educational establishment honours diversity as foundational to the education system wherever it preserves the freedom to have genuine alternatives.

3. The funding disparity between publicly accredited programs delivered in non-profit independent schools to many is a crass injustice. When a program of studies is accredited by the province and meets all of the requirements set by the Ministry it is simply wrong to devalue its public benefit for political reasons and to penalize the parents who choose it. A program is a program is a program. A distance education course, a program in a charter, independent, Francophone, or public school should be treated equitably if they meet the provincial standards. This decision heads in the right direction.

4. Enrolments in Alberta’s independent school sector leveled off over the past decade. More recently a sharp decline has occurred due to rising costs of education but more so due to increased competition from alternative program agreements where public boards supervise the educational services. Delivering the same program as a public alternative costs the government much more money. That dynamic likely influenced this decision as well.