MICHAEL ZWAAGSTRA: Alberta school trustees should stay in their tracks

Article content

School representatives have a lot on their plate. They set school budgets, hire senior administrators, choose educational programs for students, and so on.

Article content

So it’s understandable that trustees are quick to complain when they believe their school boards aren’t getting enough provincial funding. For example, Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) trustees have repeatedly described Alberta’s provincial funding model as “broken” and claim that funding is not keeping up with rapid growth in student enrollment. But a recent motion passed by the EPSB questions whether their trustees have the right priorities.

Article content

Recommended videos

Article content

With a 5-2 vote, earlier this month EPSB trustees voted to review their board’s admissions policy to make it easier to enroll students who do not have valid immigration status. To be clear, the Alberta government only offers education funding to students with at least one parent who is a legitimate resident of the province. In other words, children whose parents are in the country illegally are not eligible to receive taxpayer-funded education. (By the way, a majority of voters in Monday’s referendum voted to support a “law that only Canadian citizens, permanent residents and individuals with an Alberta-approved immigration status are eligible for provincially funded programs” including “education.”)

Article content

Article content

Of course, if the EPSB chooses to enroll students who are not eligible for provincial education funding, it must either pay tuition or cover the cost from its budget. Given that most families without valid immigration status likely cannot afford tuition, absorption of the costs into the EPSB budget is the most likely outcome. Last year, in recognition of this problem, EPSB trustees unanimously passed a motion asking the Alberta government to amend the Education Act so that students without valid immigration status can receive full provincial education funding.

But the Minister of Education Demetrios Nicolaides rejected the request, which means that the EPSB trustees had a choice to make – either to stay on their track and educate students they currently have or enroll students who do not have a valid immigration status and cover the costs from their budget. Unfortunately, the trustees chose the second option in a 5-2 vote. It would have been much wiser to leave provincial education policy to the provincial government. If EPSB is really struggling to provide a quality education to students currently enrolled, expanding their enrollment by adding ineligible students will make things worse.

Article content

In fact, a recent study on spending on Canadian public schools found that federal immigration policy has a significant impact on school board budgets. As of 2021, the number of immigrants to Canada has increased. In Alberta, 8,144 school-age students (ages 5-17) migrated to the province in the 2021/22 school year, which was more than double the rate the previous year. In later years, an even higher number of school-age students migrated to Alberta. Of course, it is uncertain what percentage of these school-age students have valid immigration status, but increasing the number of students in EPSB schools will significantly impact the school board’s budget.

It is not the role of local school boards to determine immigration rules or to judge eligibility for provincially funded programs. If trustees want to change federal or provincial laws, they should resign and run for provincial or federal office. A trustee’s job is to provide teachers with quality professional development, ensure reading instruction programs are based on the science of reading, empowering principles, implement clear discipline policies, among other things. This policy will improve student learning without breaking the bank.

All trusts, including those in EPSB, should stay in their lane.

Michael Zwaagstra is a Senior Fellow at the Fraser Institute.

Article content