1. Independent Schools Meet a Public Good
The core principle that independent (private) schools provide a public benefit was established in 1998 by the province’s Private School Funding Task Force. An arduous nine-month review by the Task Force established that:

“Private schools have an important role to play as a complement to the public system. [They] meet a public good, they meet the needs of certain children, they reflect the diversity of Alberta society, and they provide choices for parents.” (emphasis added).

The public good involves students learning the Alberta Program of Studies. Teachers holding the Alberta Professional Teaching Certificate deliver the instruction; and other operational requirements, as set out in the School Act and implemented through the Private School Regulations, are met.

Any public policy discussion on government support for publicly accredited independent schools revolves around the need to determine what level is appropriate in light of the educational value delivered, that is, the benefit to the child and to society as a whole

2. Independent Schools’ Role Endorsed by Alberta’s Premier and Education Minister
Ed Stelmach, in his comments below, acknowledges the importance of school choice. More importantly, he recognizes the foundational spirit of Alberta’s School Act that calls for diversity in education as part of the provincial mandate. This underlying spirit of accommodating all responsible choices reinforces the importance of honouring the rights of all parents and students.

The Hon. Dave Hancock, Minister of Education also affirmed the role of independent school on several occasions during the April 24, 2008 debate in the Alberta Legislature over the 2008 Education budget. Like the Premier, he underscores respect for parental choice that respects diversity, healthy competition, and the importance of upholding Alberta’s standards in education.

3. Continued Public Policy Principles from 1998 Task Force
The 1998 Private School Funding Task force’s extensive nine-month review established a number of important principles and policies that continue to be relevant to public policy discussions and decisions as they repeat fundamental findings by the province over the years when ever the role of independent (private) schools have been reviewed. Several important concepts identified in the Report and Recommendations of the Private Schools Funding Task Force (1998) that continue as useful public policy guides where contributions of publicly accredited independent schools are recognized alongside of the role of parents include:

1. The Task Force believes that private [independent] schools meet a public good, they meet the needs of certain students, they reflect the diversity of Alberta society, and they provide choices for parents. (Task Force Report, Part 1, p. 4)

2. If private schools offer the Alberta Program of Studies and meet the same standards as public schools, they should receive public funding. (Task Force Report, Part 1, p. 4)

3. We also believe that, if parents choose to send their children to private schools, they should be responsible for some costs involved. (Task Force Report, Part 1, p. 5)

4. The Mutual Responsibility Framework Proposed by AISCA
AISCA has proposed to the Albert Government, since the Commission on Learning, a conceptual model for education that would preserve and enhance shared responsibility between parents and the government.

The mutual framework model proposed would optimize parental engagement and responsibility. It would enhance choice, promote economic sustainability for education as a whole, and continue to foster excellence in education. It would maintain a reasonably healthy climate of competition for educational services in Alberta. Independent schools will only flourish if a reasonable policy of government support preserves and encourages such a shared responsibility framework at an affordable level for parents.

Parental responsibility and the right to make responsible choices are important for a strong education system. High levels of parental engagement improve a child’s success in school; and increased parental involvement in school settings cultures excellence in the education system. Alberta has increasingly recognized that the principle of school choice is fundamental to honouring diversity as an important part of Albertans values and heritage.

5. Concept of Shared Responsibility Model for Education in Alberta

6. Independent Schools Meet Provincial Standards Equivalent to Public Schools
The Alberta government acknowledges that publicly accredited independent schools enhance the efforts to provide excellence in education. It views independent schools as integral to Alberta’s development of a world-class education program and the government’s messaging repeatedly states that independent (private) schools are a valued part of the network of different schooling options because they provide choice. Being valued as a competitive force is not a prime reason to value schools; publicly accredited independent schools are worthy of support if they meet the provincial standards of education. A question that is constantly raised by those who opposed independent schools is that of accountability.

The 1998 Private School Funding Task Force thoroughly reviewed all of the government’s requirements related to independent school accountability. As a result, several new requirements were incorporated into the Private School Regulations. These regulations were reviewed again in 2004 and minor changes were made. The accountability to the public was generally considered adequate by the Task Force and by subsequent review of the Regulations, but unfortunately the general public is not well informed on what the requirements are or how they are implemented. Misconceptions and myths abound.

As publicly accredited educational institutions, independent schools, like other provincial school systems, work to effectively educate school-aged students to meet the outcomes and requirements set out in the provincial goals for education. Furthermore, publicly accredited independent schools operate entirely in accord with the Ministry of Education's Business Plan and with the Government of Alberta's Strategic Business Plan.

Publicly accredited independent schools offer parallel program value under equivalent accountability requirements to public schools (See Summary Table of Comparison). The reality is that highly contentious politics that inevitably surrounds parental choices for schools not operated by public boards usually means that the public value and benefits are heavily discounted in government policy. The irony is that the full value is immediately acknowledged in alternative program policy and any student who shifts from a publicly accredited independent school to a public school has their program fully accredited. Colleges and Universities also accept all graduates who have completed their programs of study in Alberta’s independent schools. Devaluing their worth is simply a form of injustice that modern democracies need to counteract if authentic parental choice and genuine diversity are to be respected and honoured not only in theory but also in practice. Any progress to lessen that gap is a move toward greater justice and fairness.

7. Estimating Savings on Capital Costs in Independent Schools: Potentially $1 Billion
The Alberta government avoids paying millions of dollars in infrastructure costs by not having to provide buildings for independent school students and by not paying for any associated land costs.

The table below estimates crudely the potential economic benefit that the Alberta government gains because of this advantageous arrangement where independent school communities pay for building and land expenses.

1. The grade distribution is from Alberta Education Student Population by Grade, School and Authority, 2005/2006 and the cost formula is from Alberta Education.

2. Building the space needed to house all 28,500 students reported by Alberta Education as attending independent schools in 2005/2006, not just those eligible for provincial funding would likely cost Alberta more than $1 billion if land costs were included in the picture in addition to construction costs.

3. As with public schools, all students not eligible for provincial funding must be housed in a school, not only those eligible for provincial funding. First Nations’ students, international students, and non-resident students require spaces. Public schools, like independent schools, recover the added expenses for educating the students ineligible for provincial grants through tuition agreements.

4. The estimated savings on capital is overly cautious. Current construction costs in Alberta’s boom economy for some public school buildings, are reported to be escalating by 1.5% per month. Capital projects for some jurisdictions may be increasing by 40 to 60 percent depending on the area of the province.

8. The Public Teachers’ Pension Plan Cost Per Public Student: 2007 Estimates
The impact on independent schools and teachers of not having the current pension contribution values factored into the instruction funding formula for the students in independent schools is projected below. Expenses on teachers’ pensions clearly are an expense related to instruction in all schools and one of the costs of operating the education system. Pension funding for public teachers added an enormous expense to the overall cost of instruction-$1.6 billion since 2000.

The estimated $618 total provincial expense on public teachers’ pensions in 2006, both the unfunded liability and current contribution portions, was approximately 6% of the per student expense on education; that alone made it an important issue for the province to address and manage. The Alberta government has decisively addressed the public teachers’ pension issue but current pension expenses and values are an instructional cost that should be incorporated into the funding formula of typical instructional costs in education rather than excluding it simply because it does not get paid through the public boards books.

9. K-12 Education System Expenses in Alberta
Independent school must manage similar sharply rising costs as public schools. The 2008 budget forecasts a total investment of approximately $6 billion (see http://www.education.alberta.ca/department/budget.aspx)

• · Alberta’s Expense Per Funded Student in Public Schools: $11,121

With the 2008 education budget at approximately $6 billion, a fair valuation of the investment per public funded student must factor out independent school student enrolments and provincial support to that sector. Factoring out the funded enrolment of 21,358 K-12 students eligible for funding in accredited independent schools and funded private ECS students, and the projected $151 million in planned provincial expenses provided for these students in the 2008 budget, excluding pension expenses, results in a funded public student investment of $11,121 for 2008/2009:

$5,883,989,000
529,076 public funded students
= $11,121 forecast expense per public student for 2008

* Expenses on public service teacher pensions excluded