With a rosier financial picture than the government expected, opposition parties called this week for increased education funding so school boards don’t have to resort to teacher layoffs.
The government released the 2010-2011 financial results on Wednesday and revealed the projected deficit was $1.3 billion lower than expected. Alberta still posted a $3.4-billion deficit that was covered by the sustainability fund.
School boards across the province have been looking at layoffs because they are receiving less provincial money than expected.
Liberal critic Hugh MacDonald said the government should invest in education and $100 million would allow school boards to keep all their teaching positions.
“Subtract a $100 million from that and please give it to the school boards,” he said. “This is an emergency in our public school system and we have the resources to deal with it.”
MacDonald said fewer teachers means larger class sizes.
“Smaller class sizes work and hopefully before Canada Day on July 1 this government will change their mind, subtract $100 million, provide it to the school boards across the province so the school boards will have the summer to not only hire, but to retain teachers.”
The St. Albert Catholic division expected to lose about 20 teaching positions, but all but one of those will covered through retirements. The Protestant division will have 11 fewer teachers, but will cover all of them through retirements.
The Catholic board is also losing two educational assistants. The reductions are expected to only marginally increase class sizes.
Catholic board chair Lauri-Ann Turnbull said the division can manage without, but could also very much use the additional funding.
“I think you are always disappointed when you have less staff, but as a division we have always managed to deal with difficult budgets.”
She said topping up education funding is a good long-term approach.
“I would hope that they would look at education. I think education is the future of Alberta.”
NDP leader Brian Mason argued funding the increase is easily within the province’s reach.
“I would like to suggest that the $100 million that was taken out of the education budget can now be safely and prudently restored.”
The government forgoes about $1.8 billion in royalty revenues through a drilling incentive program. MacDonald said if the province can afford a break for oil companies it should find the education dollars.
“If oil is worth well over $80 and we can provide this kind of money to the energy sector then surely we can provide $100 million to the education sector.”
Local MLA Ken Allred said he doesn’t believe the government should spend money simply because it is there.
“I think it is really premature to say, ‘We saved a billion dollars last year, let’s spend it.’”
He said crafting this year’s budget was not an easy task and lots of tough decisions had to be made.
“We have a budget that was very carefully considered, with a lot of really tough decisions and I think we have to live with it.”
Minister of Finance and Treasury Board president Lloyd Snelgrove said the province has asked all government departments to sacrifice.
“We have asked all of the people who work for the Alberta government to accept freezes,” he said. “When you ask all other Albertans to share in what it is to get through our current financial reality, then that has to be everyone.”
Snelgrove didn’t come out and say it, but hinted teaching jobs could have been saved if teachers hadn’t taken an increase in their salaries as part of their agreement.
“I think the premier in many of his speeches was very clear that we had choices and our choice would have been to keep everyone working.”
Scott Hennig, Alberta director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, criticized the government for much of the news in the year-end fiscal numbers, but applauded the government for declining the opposition’s suggestion.
“We have seen the education budget double over the last 10 years. There has been a lot of money put in. A $100 million is not going to mean we are going to have higher drop-out rates or kids not knowing how to do math. Let’s get real here.”
