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

Join us April 20 for an Education Forum in Red Deer

The Red Deer Public, Red Deer Catholic and Chinook's Edge Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) Locals are hosting an all-candidates social for Red Deer North, Red Deer South and Innisfail-Sylvan Lake constituencies.

Where: Red Deer Lodge

When: Monday, April 20, 2015. 6pm to 9pm.

Albertans know the importance of education, but we also know that Alberta schools next year will have higher class sizes, less support to learners and teachers, higher school fees and more obsolete technology.

Here are some of Serge, Krystal and the Alberta Party's blog posts on education:

The Alberta Party will not punish teachers and nurses

Alberta cannot afford PC's cuts to schools

Alberta needs a strong public sector

Build schools, protect our teachers and reduce class sizes

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.

Alberta needs a strong public sector

Do you care about our public services like health, education, fire and police protection?

Take 5 and a half minutes and watch this video.

Creating and protecting public services require a strong government that represents the people and our values of fairness, empathy, responsibility and equality.

The private marketplace filled with ethical entrepreneurs is an important part of a strong economy. Public education, universal health care, fire and police services are not markets -- they occupy a public, not private, space that is driven not by private profits but by public service.

Some corporations and their political friends want to turn our public goods that are for everyone into private interests that profit an elite and wealthy few.

Here is how they are doing it:

1. Deliberately underfund public services.

2. Taxes for the wealthiest people and corporations are cut in a way that government claims that we spend too much and as a result, we “all” must address the deficit together with higher fees and new health care premiums.

3. Lack of funding erodes the quality, availability and accessibility of services.

4. People get more frustrated and lose confidence in the services.

5. Corporations and their political friends say that privatization is the answer.

In many cases, privatization of public goods has a proven track record of lower quality, less service, higher costs and greater risks to public safety. Too often, privatization means that Albertans pay more and get less.

Privatizing our health, education and services for seniors often changes the bottom line. When a service remains public, people remain the bottom line. When we privatize and corporations take over the delivery of services, there is a shift and the bottom line becomes more focused on profits and less on the needs of people.

Some private-public partnerships may work but they can not only be held accountable to shareholders whose interest is on profits. A transparent government should be truly accountable to all Albertans and provide the best care for our health, education and seniors, without the threat of privatizing our public services.

The Alberta Party understands that Alberta's health and wealth requires a diversified economy, a commitment to the environment, a strong public sector, a balanced budget and a strong social conscience.

Learn about the Alberta Party's Better Way here.

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.