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Shelley Svidal
The Alberta government's 1993 decision to slash education funding has resulted in labor unrest, increased school fund-raising and overcrowded classrooms.
That was Liberal Leader Nancy MacBeth's take on the situation as she addressed the 250 delegates attending the Alberta Liberal Party's annual convention in Calgary April 23 to 25.
MacBeth described as legitimate teachers' demands to have their salaries restored to pre-rollback levels and to see those salaries keep pace with inflation. Teachers and other professionals have "suffered in silence" as the government took all the credit for eliminating its deficit, she said.
"These people feel now that it is their turn, and a new sense of determination can be seen in their bargaining groups. . . . While we do not want to see costs spiral out of control, we respect the desire of many to recoup their lost ground and recover the cost-of-living increases. These people—nurses and teachers right here in Calgary as well as elsewhere—deserve our support."
MacBeth told delegates that teachers and other professionals have managed to hold together social programs despite their reduced numbers. "Those who remained in these direct-service positions worked strenuously to ensure that our students and patients received the best possible attention and care in spite of the reduced government support," she said. "However, these workers can no longer shield the public from the impact of the cuts."
Those cuts have translated into increased school fund-raising, MacBeth said. She pointed out that school-generated funds, which amounted to $38 million in 1994, have tripled to $122 million. "This is not for extras. These fund-raising efforts are for computers, textbooks and other essentials in our school curriculum," she said.
Class size has also increased. MacBeth suggested that, while the government has reinvested in education, most of the additional dollars are being used to fund new students, whom the government is legally obligated to fund, not to reduce class size. "Alberta still has the highest pupil-to-teacher ratio in the country," she said. "Yet classroom size is one of the key determinants affecting student learning."
MacBeth noted that education cuts have also harmed municipalities, which have shifted to market-value assessment without seeing a corresponding reduction in their mill rates. Many of those municipalities are, like school boards, running deficits as they provide the government with the extra revenue needed to increase spending on public education and other social programs, she said.
"Rather than adjust the provincial education tax rate downward to neutralize the growth in the assessment base, the province kept the same mill rate, resulting in a $105 million tax grab. This money goes out of municipal coffers directly into the provincial government bank account. Then they have the gall to point the finger at others and criticize them for not balancing their books."
At a policy session entitled Educating Alberta, Liberal education critic Don Massey encouraged his party to revisit its policy on private-school funding. He pointed out both the Progressive Conservative and New Democratic parties have voted to eliminate government funding for private schools. The Liberal party, he said, is the only party that still favors such support.
