Doom and Gloom on March 7?

On March 7, Alberta's provincial budget will be released.  The Calgary Herald reported that the budget will see a 0.7 percent increase on program spending and a $300 million operational deficit.  The government has warned of a $6 billion shortfall on energy revenue because of over projected oil prices.

Read about this story in the Calgary Herald here.

According to a story in the Calgary Herald, some Albertans say it's time the public had a serious, engaged debate about what should happen next. They suggest that Albertans both today and tomorrow will pay the price for a lack of fiscal discipline if the government doesn't create a long-term plan.  The article suggests that overly optimistic choices by government about the potential for energy revenues  lent to over spending.  Albertans have wanted to "keep taxes low" but "increase our spending very quickly."  "Spending, it seemed, was what Albertans wanted."

Read more in the Calgary Herald, here.

So, with the potential doom and gloom quickly approaching on March 7, what does this mean for our children's education?  Is it as good as it gets?  Can education get better or will the budget make damaging cuts to the system?

Last week I attended a Calgary Board of Education Trustee Hosted Meeting for Area V, open to representatives of school councils.  The evening, hosted by trustees Pamela King and Pat Cochrane, was centred around an open discussion on two topics: "The Here and Now" and "How Do We Prepare Your Children For Their Future?"  The attendees were asked, as parents, what they held most sacred to them under the education system, what they could conceivably let go of and what ideas parents possibly had on how to optimize funding.  The conversation was held under the knowledge that on March 7, Provincial Budget Day, the Education Minister will be giving school boards "less hopeful" news.  Concepts of teaching children responsibility, creativity, communication, integrity and respect were also discussed at the meeting.  A key component of this discussion was centred around the notion of assessing children.

I personally found the evening to be engaging and an excellent opportunity to discuss education with other school councils in Calgary, as well as with the board of trustees.  Although the topics discussed were difficult, some common threads were agreed upon amongst the majority of those who attended the meeting.  Personalization of learning, core academics, respect, attention to diversity, creativity, resiliency to change and good quality teaching were the bottom line essentials of education to those that attended the meeting.

With that said, let's hope that on March 7 and the months thereafter, Alberta Education and the Calgary Board of Education will continue to deliver the essential education we expect our children have the right to.