The provincial government has been warning for a while that Alberta will be facing some deep cuts in the face of dropping oil prices and the school system is speaking out, saying they’ve been doing more with less for a long time.
Jim Prentice has said that Albertans will be in for a tough budget next month and no department will be spared from cuts, and that includes health and education.
Last week, Alberta Finance Minister Robin Campbell said they looking in the neighbourhood of a nine percent cut, which is the result of a five percent cut in department spending, adjusted to inflation and population growth of four percent.
Campbell said that by doing nothing, Alberta would stock up $20B in debt over the next three years.
The head of the Alberta School Boards Association says they’re concerned they won’t be able to function if it faces cuts.
They’re worried about the impact those cuts will have on classrooms and students in the province, and say they’ve been struggling with covering costs, even when oil was on an upturn.
Helen Clease, the president of the ASBA, says that it’s up to residents to contact their MLA and the Premier to voice their concerns about cuts to education funding.
“When you look at how we’re already struggling to manage classes sizes, how we’re struggling to meet the needs in the classroom, individual needs of students, we have a quite diverse population of students, and when you look at providing support, resources to classrooms and to teachers, I think it’s going to be quite devastating.”
The Alberta Teachers’ Union is also on the offensive in reaction to the cuts, producing a series of commercials essentially saying that any cuts to education will cost jobs and hurt students.
Political observers say that next month, once Prentice releases the budget, an election will likely be called, giving Albertans the final say on the province’s financial future.
