Alberta petition questioning public funding for private schools fails to meet organizers' goal
CBC
Organizers of a petition asking Alberta's government to change its policy regarding the use of public funds for private and independent schools have failed to reach their signature goal ahead of Wednesday's deadline for collecting names.
Canvassers had collected just over 123,000 signatures for the Alberta Funds Public Schools petition as of Wednesday. That's around 54,000 signatures shy of its 177,732 target.
The petition asked the question: “Should the Government of Alberta end its current practice of allocating public funds to accredited independent (private) schools?”
If organizers had successfully collected the 177,732 signatures within the 120-day period they were given to do so, the petition could potentially have forced the Alberta government to consider calling a referendum on the matter.
Alicia Taylor, a proponent of the petition, said while she was disappointed by the result, she felt the effort was still worthwhile.
“I'm really grateful that we got the signatures that we did," she said. "I would say that a good number of the people that we encountered in public … when we asked them the question, they were surprised.
“[The canvassers] couldn't believe how many people in the general public aren't aware of this issue.”
Pat Sawatzky, a volunteer, said having conversations with people while canvassing was necessary to spread awareness about the policy.
“They were so appalled that our tax dollars were going … to private schools when our public schools are failing,” she said.
“Everybody just felt it was important that all our kids be educated well, and it shouldn't be about your financial status.”
Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides told CBC News in a statement that independent schools support students with extreme specialized learning needs and provide cultural and faith‑based education for diverse communities.
“Demonizing independent schools and the families that choose these schools is not the way to go," the statement read. "I am confident we can have a strong public education system and robust choices for Albertans at the same time."
Taylor said she recognizes the importance of independent and private schools, but believes public schools should be prioritized by the government.
“It’s not our intent to demonize private schools," she said. " ... Our intent wasn’t to close them or anything like that.
WARNING: This story discusses child sexual abuse material and contains graphic details of alleged sexual assault
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