Question: I’ve noticed on Facebook some posts by people who seem to be running for their school board. What do I need to know about school board trustee elections?
Answer: January 1 marked the opening of the nomination period for quadrennial school board elections, which will be held in conjunction with municipal elections across Alberta on October 20, 2025. Some eager beavers have already begun positioning themselves to run for school trustee positions, and interest in these elections will mount throughout the course of the next eight months.
Elected school board trustees are responsible for governing Alberta’s public, Catholic and francophone school systems, and the fact that they are elected makes public education public and democratic. Crucially, every Canadian citizen over the age of 18 who resides in an Alberta school district has the right to vote and, with few exceptions, run for the position of trustee in that district. This extension of the franchise to every member of the larger community directly or indirectly served by the school district differentiates governance of public, Catholic and francophone schools from that of charter and private schools, which are effectively closed clubs, albeit clubs in receipt of substantial public dollars.
School boards collectively administer almost $7.5 billion in operational spending transferred to them by the province. Their decisions affect over 650,000 students and about 80,000 teachers and other staff. School trustees are at the centre of this, approving policy, budgeting, directing the superintendent and engaging with the community. They are, ultimately, the boss of you, and you get to elect them!
The position of school board trustee has often been a very accessible point of entry for budding politicians of all political stripes. Service on school boards has helped to give individuals the experience to run successfully for municipal, provincial and even federal office. Premier Danielle Smith provides a notable example, having been elected in 1998 to the Calgary Board of Education and ending her tenure when the entire board was turfed by then education minister Lyle Oberg in August 1999.
Yet despite their potential importance and impact, school trustee elections rarely rise to public attention. In the last elections, of 426 trustee positions, 204 were filled by acclamation and six went vacant. Voter turnout also tends to be embarrassingly low and it is not unusual for contested seats to be determined by a few dozen votes.
This is a problem, but also an opportunity.
With low information and low turnout elections, some candidates who are actively hostile to the fundamental values of public education will attempt to use the upcoming elections to position themselves to advance their blinkered, harmful and destructive agendas opposing inclusion, teacher tenure, teachers’ exercise of their professional judgement, efforts to ensure that schools are safe and caring spaces for all students, and public education itself. Even though formal slates and parties are prohibited in school board elections, some candidates are already working together to advance this mission. Among the most prominent organizers of these candidates is David Parker’s Take Back Alberta (TBA) organization, which has targeted school boards. Even if the future of Parker and TBA is uncertain given that they have been fined over $100,000 for various breaches of Alberta’s election law, the network of fellow travellers they have established remains in place. We can add to this candidates who have the support of the Alberta Parents’ Union and Parents for Choice in Education. (See https://teachers.ab.ca/news/supporters-public-education-need-counter-destructive-forces.)
Teachers and supporters of public education cannot be complacent in the face of this threat. The good news is that we are not powerless. Our task is threefold. We must first identify and encourage individuals who are prepared to stand up for our public, Catholic and francophone schools to put their names forward for office. Second, we must ensure that all candidates’ platforms and credentials are made publicly known so that voters can make informed decisions about who they will support. Finally, we must turn out to vote and encourage other like-minded citizens to make the trip to the polls on election day.
The Association has produced a digital School Board Election Handbook (available in the Members Only section under Member organizing resources > General resources) to assist teachers, candidates, locals and subgroups to organize in advance of the election. Additional information for candidates is available from the Alberta School Boards Association. October 20 may seem like a long way away, but the clock is ticking. ❚
Questions for consideration in this column are welcome. Please address them to Dennis Theobald at dennis.theobald@ata.ab.ca.
