CALGARY — Comprehensive amendments to the Alberta School Act have been introduced in the provincial legislature.
They provide for changes in the way school boards are funded, managed and how they will be amalgamated. The education department plans to assume full responsibility for collecting property taxes to fund schools. All levies will be placed in a school foundation program fund with provisions to keep Catholic and public school funds separate.
On April 14 an “electronic town hall meeting” linked about 10,000 Catholic school board supporters in Lethbridge, Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton to let the province know they are not in favor of the government collecting their money. They say the province is violating their constitutional rights and fear they will lose their share of corporate taxes, which could diminish their school systems.
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School board responsibilities
While the government plans to collect taxes, school boards will still be responsible for hiring all staff including superintendents, busing, setting of fees, construction and other local policy decisions. Superintendent appointments must be approved by the minister of education.
Regionalization of school boards and setting of new school district boundaries will also be allowed under this new act.
It provides for the publication of senior administrators’ salaries and results on standardized tests.
In the area of discipline, principals and boards will be allowed to expel students who violate the accepted code of behavior.
