Red Deer needs Red Deer College

Red Deer College

There are many reasons why investing in post-secondary education is important. Here are just four:

1. We want our children to graduate from our K-12 public education and continue learning as adults. Having post-secondary education available can reduce overall poverty rates in the province while increasing quality of life and standards of living. 

2. Economic diversification is dependent on healthy colleges and universities. 

3. During tough economic times, many people choose to enter or re-enter post-secondary education to grow their skills. 

4. Alberta needs more post-secondary access, not less. Red Deer College is growing to meet our students’ needs, and with proper funding and support, Red Deer College could become a degree-granting institution. 

Alberta already has the lowest post-secondary participation rate in Canada, and now we know that the number of Albertans being turned away from college and university has doubled in the past four years. 15, 000 qualified students are being turned away from Alberta’s post-secondary institutions.

“Having access to high quality and affordable post-secondary education is critical to our economy. Sadly, the devastating cuts that the PCs have made to our trade schools, technical institutes, colleges and universities has made accessing the system more difficult than ever and significantly diminished the quality of education students receive,” said Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark.

Governments who cut education to save money are like farmers who sell their topsoil to pay the bills. This is why the Alberta Party is calling on the province to cancel planned cuts to post-secondary and instead invest to meet the growing demand. 

“Red Deer College is a wonderful place that is conveniently accessible to Red Deer North. However, if Jim Prentice and the PCs are allowed to continue their cuts to post-secondary education, Red Deer College will become a place for only rich people’s children,” said Alberta Party Red Deer North candidate Krystal Kromm.

“My 30 years of teaching at Red Deer College has made it clear to me how important Red Deer College is to Red Deer and central Alberta. The Alberta Party would restore post-secondary education funding, improve the student loan system and increase grants and bursaries,” said Alberta Party Red Deer South candidate Serge Gingras.

“A vote for the Alberta Party will be a vote for investing in this province’s colleges and universities.”

Red Deer's Education Crisis

Red Deer’s School Crisis:

• Here is Red Deer Public School District's letter in regards to the PC's education cuts. 

• Here is Red Deer Catholic School District's letter in regards to the PC's education cuts.

• Red Deer Public has 2.7 million less dollars than in 2014-15.

• Red Deer doesn’t have enough schools -- class sizes are at all time highs and provincial funding is not keeping up with population growth.

• In 2014-15, Red Deer Public school board used funds from its reserves to address the shortfall from government funding in order to sustain services to learners. In 2015-16, school boards won’t have the same flexibility in drawing from reserves and will have to justify the use of reserves to government and only for what government approves. 

• Red Deer schools will have higher class sizes, less support to learners and teachers, higher school fees and more obsolete technology.

• Too many classrooms in Red Deer have 30 or 40 students.

• One year ago, Red Deer schools had 5 RCMP resource officers. Today, they have been cut to one.

• Red Deer Public has 1000 staff for 10,000 students. Red Deer Public has a $100 million budget.

• Red Deer Catholic has 700 staff for 9,000 students. Red Deer Catholic has a $90 million budget.

• Both Red Deer Public and Catholic have similar budget breakdowns: 77% to instruction, 13% to facilities and maintenance, 8% to Transportation, 3% to Administration.

Provincial Education Crisis:

• 19 Growing Alberta School Boards released a joint press release expressing shared concern over how the 2015-1016 budget will have significant effect on student success and the overall education system in Alberta. http://trustees.rockyview.ab.ca/assets/joint-budget-statement

• The new PC budget provides no funding for the 12,000-19,000 new students that are expected to enroll in public education. In fact, it does not provide funding for any of the growth expected over the next three years. This means that school boards will have to stretch every dollar even more every year and serve more students with less money.

• Alberta families paid 142.6 million in school fees in 2012/2013 compared to 46.1 million in 2008-2009. Families will pay more fees for activities, services and supplies as a result of school boards being forced to increase fees to sustain minimum support and services to students and teachers.

• Government is dictating to school boards on how to allocate the budget, taking away any autonomy regarding what is best for students in their own schools and forcing them to make difficult decisions that will affect students and teachers.

• Schools will lose teaching assistants, counsellors, social workers and other support while teachers will have to accommodate larger numbers of students with even more complex needs in their classrooms. 

• Alberta Schools suffer because they do not have sustainable, predictable and sufficient funding.

• Teachers have already agreed to a 3 year pay freeze, now the PCs have announced that teachers pay will be indefinitely frozen until government can balance the budget.

The Alberta Party will:

• fight to build schools, protect our teachers, provide adequate support to learners and reduce class sizes

• reverse the PCs’ cuts to education and guarantee per-student funding to match population growth and inflation.

• invest in new schools to keep pace with Alberta’s population growth.

• phase out school fees

• reduce taxpayer subsidies to private schools that do not serve the public interest.

Serge and Krystal understand:

• Governments who cut education to save money are like farmers who sell their topsoil to pay their bills.

• Education is not an expense -- it’s an investment.

• There is no more fat to cut from the education budgets in Red Deer. The PCs are cutting into bone.

Learn about the Alberta Party’s Better Way:

www.albertaparty.ca

www.krystalkromm.com

www.sergegingras.ca

Alberta cannot afford PC's cuts to schools

Funding for students in Alberta schools have been cut over the last 5 years. In 2011-2012, school boards had $9,411 per student but funding in 2015-2016 is projected to drop to $9,166.

The PC cuts deepen when inflation is factored in. The gap widens from $8,997 in 2011-2012 down to $8,225 in 2015-2016 -- that’s almost $800 less per student.

“PC cuts to education over the years has forced school boards to nickel and dime families with fees. The Alberta Party would reverse the PC cuts to our schools and eliminate school fees,” said Red Deer South Alberta Party candidate Serge Gingras.

Student enrolment is projected to increase 19,000 kids this fall. That is 90,000 more kids in classrooms since 2008-2009.

“The PCs are not funding our schools to match the rate of inflation and population growth. Governments that cut education to save money are like farmers who sell their topsoil to pay the bills,” said Red Deer North Alberta Party candidate Krystal Kromm.

“Our kids’ education shouldn’t depend on the price of oil. The PCs got us into this situation and now they want students to pay for their mistakes,” said Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark.

The Alberta Party will fight to build schools, protect our teachers and reduce class sizes. Learn about the Alberta Party’s Better Way here.

Check out this powerful video from Support our Students Alberta.

What Education in Alberta looks like today from SOS Alberta on Vimeo.

Red Deer is ready for the Alberta Party

Red Deer, AB - Jim Prentice announced that Alberta will have an election on May 5. This election announcement comes one year before the PCs were supposed to call an election, according to their own fixed election law, and will cost Albertans an estimated $28 million.

“Jim Prentice raised taxes on hard-working Albertans but cut our children’s education and our family’s health care. These tax hikes and cuts in health and education will hurt Red Deer. The Alberta Party has a better way,” said Alberta Party Red Deer North candidate Krystal Kromm.

“For too long, the PC’s have done everything to maintain their own power. Alberta is ready for a government that represents the people. The Alberta Party is the new energy that Red Deer is desperate for,” said Alberta Party Red Deer South candidate Serge Gingras.

Both Serge Gingras and Krystal Kromm’s campaigns are up and running strong with a campaign office located in the heart of Red Deer’s downtown at 4824 Gaetz Avenue.

“Red Deer is ready for new energy. Red Deer is ready for the Alberta Party.”

The Alberta Party is proud to be hosting a Pints and Politics event Wednesday, April 8 at 7pm in Red Deer at Fionn MacCool’s where everyone is invited to talk with both Red Deer candidates Serge Gingras and Krystal Kromm and Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark.