It is quite a contrast and I don't understand how the UCP gets away with justifying the disparity. Hopefully this shines a light on what is going on. I hope the community can find the funds to fix your field.
That picture of the fields made me so angry. I coached soccer at my local public school. The school in only 6 years old. Our field is a pot-holed mess. We have no baseball diamond, only got a second piece of playground equipment last year (thanks to PTA fund raising). We finally got goal post this year! 6 years for soccer posts! But the field is not usable for teams as it is dangerous to use for competitive sport due to the pot-holes.
Unfortunately, the last school I worked at had similar problems and that was 4 years ago!
Hi Paul, sorry I misunderstood. The comparison to a public school was to illustrate that disparity between private and public school resources. Private schools get 70% of the government funding for public schools.
Hey I'm asking for some clarity here. Maybe it's not explained in the article well. Why does the public school have a larger budget than the private schools? Are they receiving more money or is the budget running a deficit? I don't feel like that portion of this article is clear.
The public school money is more because they educate more kids. 2024-25 public schools had 537,678 students while private schools had 48,204 less than 10% of public schools
I meant specifically in the example above. It used a single public school to compare to Webber academy and it said it had a bigger budget than Webber and has a similar amount of students. I don't understand the numbers, I feel like there's missing an explanation that lead to the big paragraph after. Like is the budget running a deficit or something.
I appreciated your article and research - thank you!
What’s even more upsetting…there are schools in Calgary that are part of the Palliser school division (Lethbridge area) that are “public” schools and receive 💯 of the student funding from the govt PLUS “tuition” (aka fees) and some even require parents pay a huge bond ($6000) upfront at the beginning of enrolment which is refundable after they leave the school but…compound interest…🤔
Some also have admission tests/interviews and are able to turn students away based on caps per grade and whether they have the support for a child needing extra support. This is all stated on their websites. You most definitely cannot do that in a real public school.
What is also very strange…these teachers at these schools were all on strike as they are considered a public school…but they already have class caps…extra money and do not take students that they are unable to support?!
How is it that these schools can be considered public schools and receive 100% of the govt funding plus tuitions “fees”?
Check out Master’s Academy’s website. Palliser school division also lists the other “public” schools in Calgary on their website. Have a look at this article as well that discusses these schools like Master’s.
It is quite a contrast and I don't understand how the UCP gets away with justifying the disparity. Hopefully this shines a light on what is going on. I hope the community can find the funds to fix your field.
Great article and why I joined Albert Funds Public Schools (abfundspublicschools.ca).
That picture of the fields made me so angry. I coached soccer at my local public school. The school in only 6 years old. Our field is a pot-holed mess. We have no baseball diamond, only got a second piece of playground equipment last year (thanks to PTA fund raising). We finally got goal post this year! 6 years for soccer posts! But the field is not usable for teams as it is dangerous to use for competitive sport due to the pot-holes.
Unfortunately, the last school I worked at had similar problems and that was 4 years ago!
Hi Paul, sorry I misunderstood. The comparison to a public school was to illustrate that disparity between private and public school resources. Private schools get 70% of the government funding for public schools.
Absolutely Not! The UCP is dangerous to our Canadian fabric
You should also explain the difference between Charter and Private schools. Most people seem to lump them together.
Have you read the article on Charter schools vs Public schools?
https://teachers.ab.ca/news/why-should-we-care-about-private-and-charter-schools. Charter schools have grown from 15 to 34. There are some major differences between Public and Charter schools that give Charter schools advantages over Public schools.
Hey I'm asking for some clarity here. Maybe it's not explained in the article well. Why does the public school have a larger budget than the private schools? Are they receiving more money or is the budget running a deficit? I don't feel like that portion of this article is clear.
The public school money is more because they educate more kids. 2024-25 public schools had 537,678 students while private schools had 48,204 less than 10% of public schools
https://www.alberta.ca/student-population-statistics
I meant specifically in the example above. It used a single public school to compare to Webber academy and it said it had a bigger budget than Webber and has a similar amount of students. I don't understand the numbers, I feel like there's missing an explanation that lead to the big paragraph after. Like is the budget running a deficit or something.
I appreciated your article and research - thank you!
What’s even more upsetting…there are schools in Calgary that are part of the Palliser school division (Lethbridge area) that are “public” schools and receive 💯 of the student funding from the govt PLUS “tuition” (aka fees) and some even require parents pay a huge bond ($6000) upfront at the beginning of enrolment which is refundable after they leave the school but…compound interest…🤔
Some also have admission tests/interviews and are able to turn students away based on caps per grade and whether they have the support for a child needing extra support. This is all stated on their websites. You most definitely cannot do that in a real public school.
What is also very strange…these teachers at these schools were all on strike as they are considered a public school…but they already have class caps…extra money and do not take students that they are unable to support?!
How is it that these schools can be considered public schools and receive 100% of the govt funding plus tuitions “fees”?
Check out Master’s Academy’s website. Palliser school division also lists the other “public” schools in Calgary on their website. Have a look at this article as well that discusses these schools like Master’s.
https://education-forum.ca/2022/11/08/undermining-public-education/#:~:text=It%20appears%20that%20structuring%20payments,committed%20to%20further%20expanding%20privatization