Dear editor,
The 2010 civic elections are finished, and across the province, 150 public school trustees are celebrating successful campaigns and local democracy. But with the elections over, the real work is about to begin.
Over the past months, trustee candidates worked hard to breathe life into the democratic process and get their communities talking about public education.
Now, trustees must keep the public engaged and interested. Big opportunities await the province’s newly composed school boards, not least of which is the provincial government’s new Education Act. The new Education Act is due to be introduced during the spring sitting of the Legislature. Until then, trustees will have many opportunities to work with the Minister of Education and Alberta Education officials and determine how the province’s education system is governed. These consultations will decide important issues like what decisions are made by each level of government, and whether those individuals making decisions about children and the future of our province are democratically chosen and locally accountable.
Albertans are encouraged to communicate with their elected representatives, both at the school board level and at the Legislature, about the progress and substance of the new Education Act. The public, school trustees, and MLAs must have an informed, engaging, and on-going dialogue, before the act is introduced, while the Legislature debates it, and after it has been passed into law.
This is the only way Albertans can ensure their education system will meet their needs and reflects their desires.
Patty Dittrick, President, Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta
