Standing up for a student-first approach to Alberta education

It is disheartening to watch and listen to so many Albertans propitiate an “us and them” narrative regarding the education of Albertan children. In recent months there has been a call to defund independent schools in Alberta. The motivation behind this is more money for public education.

If successful, the reality is, many independent schools would be forced to shut their doors resulting in unprecedented financial strain on public education. With over 48,000 students in independent schools across Alberta, the price tag of moving all these students into the public education system where they would be bumped from 70 per cent funded to 100 per cent funded could reach $165 million per year (not including any capital costs associated with moving these students).

Public schools forced to absorb these students would be operating with fewer supports, bigger classes, and buildings already over capacity. Ontario is a model of zero-funded independent education. Their model limits choice, stratifies families by income, and pushes schools into elitism and should not be sought after in Alberta.

According to a Cardus Research paper titled “Exploring Alberta’s Independent School Landscape” from 2024, 55% of independent schools have a religious focus (including but not limited to Christian, Islamic, and Sikh), 30% are special emphasis (including but not limited to arts, sports and STEM), 8% are top tier, 4% are preparatory, 1% are credit emphasis, and 2 per cent are other.

Alberta has prided itself on its ability to provide diverse educational choices for families. Joanna Dejong Vanhof from Cardus Research Institute states, “A pluralist approach to education, if one truly believes that holistic student formation—developmental, social, and academic—is best served by education that aligns with one’s culture or moral tradition.”

The attack to defund independent schools in Alberta is a direct attack on Alberta’s longstanding educational pluralism. Independent schools in Alberta educate children. Charter schools educate children. Home schools educate children. Catholic schools educate children. Public schools educate children. If the heart of education in Alberta is the flourishing and formation of EVERY student, then the most effective way to accomplish this goal is to support educational pluralism.

Kayla deRegt is a certified teacher and a member of two different independent school societies in Central Alberta. She is also executive director with Students First Alberta.