Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) president Jason Schilling has issued the following statement with regards to the Alberta Government announcing $43 million dollars for a new Charter School in north Calgary.
“The “state of the art facilities,” at the new Foundations for the Future Charter Academy High School will cater to the learning needs of up to 1,000 students, meanwhile Calgary received only one new public high school last year. That school is now over capacity, with more than 2100 students.
The ATA acknowledges that Alberta’s government is supporting new school builds, but when will public schools see the funding necessary to meet the needs of this boom in enrollment growth? Our public education system is struggling to accommodate the significant student growth in Alberta, yet it remains the lowest funded per student in Canada.
It is deeply concerning that public dollars, Albertan’s taxes, are being diverted to charter schools, which serve private interests rather than the broader public. When will the government prioritize public schools and ensure that new and modernized educational spaces become a reality for the majority of students, not just a select few?" Albertans deserve better.”