The Threat to Educational Choice in Alberta
A citizen initiative is underway to remove public funding from Alberta’s independent (private) schools. If it succeeds, it could open the door to future cuts for homeschooling, separate, and charter schools, putting every family’s right to choose their child’s education at risk.
Today, over 288,000 Alberta students – more than 1 in 3 – learn outside the public system, including in separate, independent, and charter schools.
Independent schools currently receive up to 70% of the per-student funding public schools get, while parents cover the rest through tuition and donations. This saves taxpayers money while ensuring families can choose what works best for their children.
Alberta’s strength has always been freedom of choice, including how we educate our children. Every child is unique and deserves to have the education best suited to them.
Stand with us to protect parental rights and keep educational choice alive in Alberta.
"Should the Government of Alberta end its current practice of allocating public funds to accredited independent (private) schools?"
How the Process Works
If the organizers of the citizen initiative collect 180,000 signatures by February 11, they could force a province-wide referendum.
If this passes, funding for independent schools would be eliminated. Many would close, nearly 50,000 students would be impacted, and public schools would be overcrowded with thousands more students than they can handle. Alberta families would lose one of their most important freedoms: the right to choose how their children are educated.
And it would not stop there. Once funding is taken from independent schools, homeschooling, separate, and charter schools could be next.
That’s why it’s critical to act now: to raise awareness, build support, and ensure Alberta families are ready to vote No if this initiative ever reaches the ballot.
By adding your name, you’re standing up for parental rights, educational freedom, and choice in Alberta’s future.