ATA President Frank Bruseker expressed concern on January 23 about the provincial government’s renewed interest in using public-private-partnerships (P3s) to finance, build and operate school facilities in Alberta.
"Clearly teachers, like other Albertans, are concerned about the lack of adequate school facilities in many of our rapidly growing communities and expect the provincial government to take action," said Bruseker. "But this concern ought not to be taken as pretext for putting the ownership of our schools into private hands."
The ATA maintains that the ownership of schools should remain in the public domain because public schools play such a fundamental role in the identity and life of the community. "It is ultimately a question of accountability," said Bruseker. "We believe that a democratically elected school board accountable to the entire community is more likely to operate schools in a manner that respects the interests of students and their families than are private owners who are necessarily driven by their own bottom line."
Cash-strapped governments have usually resorted to P3s to avoid having to borrow money to pay the full cost of constructing a facility upfront. Of course, this comes at a price—the total amount paid to the private partner over the life of the project must allow for reasonable profit and cover the cost of private financing as well as the actual expense of constructing and operating the facility. "I understand how P3s serve the private interest," said Bruseker. "It’s not at all clear how they serve the public interest, particularly given this province’s considerable financial capacity."
Bruseker contends that if the government is determined to pursue partnerships with the private sector to fund school construction, then clear guarantees need to be in place. School facilities must provide an environment that enhances the quality of teaching and learning. Teachers, students and community members must be able to use the facilities without restrictions and without having to pay additional fees. All aspects of facility operation and maintenance must be subject to the direction of the principal and school board, with ownership of the facilities reverting to the board at the conclusion of the project. Finally, the proponents of P3 projects must be able to demonstrate how they will deliver all this at less cost than a publicly funded alternative.
"The entire P3 debate is an unnecessary distraction," concluded Bruseker. "We need to build more schools; the province has the capacity to build schools; it should get on with the job."
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