Public education advocates call on Alberta to axe funds to private schools

[corporatejay]

I used to think that private schools shouldn't receive any government spending but the more I think about it, the pressure having all these additional kids in schools would have on the system would be crippling. Not to mention there is no way Special Needs kids will get the same level of attention and care in the public system as they do in private.

If anything, private schools save the province money, they are only paying 60% per student rather than 100%.

“We’re not saying that these shouldn’t be allowed to exist. They just should not receive public funds to operate,” French said of private schools.

Private schools that teach the Alberta curriculum receive at least 60 per cent of the amount a public school receives from the ministry for each student, she said. Private schools that focus on special education and meet the accountability requirements of public school boards are funded at the same level as publicly operated schools. Charter schools receive “base instructional funding,” but don’t qualify for some of grants public, Catholic and francophone schools receive.

Asked whether private schools that solely serve students with disabilities should be denied public funds, French said money should be diverted to public schools to better meet those needs.

“There are supports within the public system. Granted, those supports right now aren’t sufficient. To make up for that, we do need to properly fund special needs in classrooms in public and separate schools.”

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/lo...730/story.html

[CaptainCrunch]

I agree with what you're saying, its pretty short sighted to simply state that if we cut off the funded and make it completely privately funded that we won't get a flood of students going from private to public because it becomes un affordable.

60% payment is far better then paying the full shot, its not that hard to see.

You'd also get all kinds of court challenges if the Government tried to change the formula.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

There are reasons for and against this and it is tough to pick a side. I don't think we want to create a climate of two tiered education, one for the rich and one for the rest. I'd like to think that we want to avoid a situation where our public schools are falling apart so that we can subsidize small class sizes and better education for the well off.

[Zarley]

This is simply the ATA pushing their friends in government to make things more difficult for private schools, whom are not required to hire unionized teachers.

[afc wimbledon]

My only problem with private schools are when they are religious, I don't think my tax dollars should be used to indoctrinate kids with superstitious nonsense.
Other than that I have no issues with them.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

My only problem with private schools are when they are religious, I don't think my tax dollars should be used to indoctrinate kids with superstitious nonsense.
Other than that I have no issues with them.

So, the whole catholic system?

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Weitz

So, the whole catholic system?

Yep, and the loony Khalsa schools in Surrey, the church can well afford to keep the schools going if they want.

[Ace]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

My only problem with private schools are when they are religious, I don't think my tax dollars should be used to indoctrinate kids with superstitious nonsense.
Other than that I have no issues with them.

Kind of an odd point of view. These schools are still teaching math, science, art, etc. What difference is it to you that the parents also wanted exposure to a religious component. Your tax dollars are not going towards that, they are going towards teaching the Alberta curriculum (edit: at a discounted rate as well)

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Ace

Kind of an odd point of view. These schools are still teaching math, science, art, etc. What difference is it to you that the parents also wanted exposure to a religious component. Your tax dollars are not going towards that, they are going towards teaching the Alberta curriculum.

Well they are also going to the religious portion of it. That, and it's terribly inefficient to have 2 separate school boards.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

There are reasons for and against this and it is tough to pick a side. I don't think we want to create a climate of two tiered education, one for the rich and one for the rest. I'd like to think that we want to avoid a situation where our public schools are falling apart so that we can subsidize small class sizes and better education for the well off.

We already have a two tiered system in my opinion.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Ace

Kind of an odd point of view. These schools are still teaching math, science, art, etc. What difference is it to you that the parents also wanted exposure to a religious component. Your tax dollars are not going towards that, they are going towards teaching the Alberta curriculum (edit: at a discounted rate as well)

They should teach their kids fairy tales at home.

[HotHotHeat]

I would imagine the NDP gov't would be more likely to end the Catholic school system, is it being considered?

[AltaGuy]

I don't think a dime of my tax dollars should go to anything but the public school system. (That goes for the Catholic system as well.)

[puckedoff]

To me it doesn't matter. It makes sense to me that my tax dollars go towards funding education for all students, regardless private/public/ISIS whatever.

I don't think that the government should be deciding to fund one kid's education but not another just because of the school their parents send them to. (Aka Think of the children!)

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

There are reasons for and against this and it is tough to pick a side. I don't think we want to create a climate of two tiered education, one for the rich and one for the rest. I'd like to think that we want to avoid a situation where our public schools are falling apart so that we can subsidize small class sizes and better education for the well off.

The thing is, all those pricey private school tuition's are paying for is a smaller class size. All the teachers come from the same programs and the curriculum's aren't so different that a private sector student would be coming out any differently/ahead based on that alone.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

My only problem with private schools are when they are religious, I don't think my tax dollars should be used to indoctrinate kids with superstitious nonsense.
Other than that I have no issues with them.

Complete intolerance aside, the tough thing for you is that you're set on supporting the system that has been the most bureaucratic and inefficient for Calgary's taxpayers for a very long time. The private and catholic boards have proven to be much more efficient and transparent with the way they handle funding and staffing.

[calgarygeologist]

I would prefer no public funding for private schools. Charter schools are fine.

What sort of budgets do some of these private schools have? If they get 60% of the gov't funding plus thousands to tens of thousands per year for tuition they must be rolling in cash.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I would prefer no public funding for private schools. Charter schools are fine.

What sort of budgets do some of these private schools have? If they get 60% of the gov't funding plus thousands to tens of thousands per year for tuition they must be rolling in cash.

http://wicmtl.ca/admissions/fees/

2015-16:
Educational Service Fees $4,822.00
Non-Educational Service Fees (The WIC Difference Option) $6,848.00

NOT INCLUDED IN OUR FEES:
Book rental
Uniforms
International trips and carnival

Also, if memory serves you have to write an entrance exam to get into WIC.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I would prefer no public funding for private schools. Charter schools are fine.

What sort of budgets do some of these private schools have? If they get 60% of the gov't funding plus thousands to tens of thousands per year for tuition they must be rolling in cash.

I agree with you here. I think that the argument of "imagine all of those kids in the public system..." is a little hollow. People putting their children in private schools aren't doing it to do a favour for everyone else. They have their own reasons to do so (which is totally fine), and they can pay for those reasons.

[Coach]

I had no idea any government funds went to private schools. With the tuition costs those people pay, it seems insane to me that they do.