The ASCA Board of Directors was pleased to receive a letter from Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) Chair Trustee Julie Kusiek, related to Advocacy for 2SLGBTQIA+ Rights.
Within the letter and attached report received by EPSB Trustees at their November 5th Board meeting, ASCA is acknowledged for its ongoing advocacy to ensure safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning spaces for all students in Alberta.
ASCA will continue to discuss these important concerns with the Education Minister, Ministry staff, and education partners as plans for the implementation of Bill 27 - the Education Amendment Act - unfold.
In addition, during the November 23, 2024 School Council Virtual Engagement Event hosted by the ASCA Board of Directors, Past President Rai provided a summary of current education issues, initiatives, and legislative changes on which ASCA has advocated on behalf of its Member School Councils. Click here to download a copy of the summary.
click on the image to download ASBOA's Report
2024 Cost Pressures Report - Association of School Business Officials of Alberta (ASBOA)
To gain a clearer understanding of current operational cost pressures, ASBOA launched a data compilation project to examine acute (emerging) and chronic (long-term) operational expense challenges in education from a provincial perspective, excluding capital and instructional costs.
The “Targeted Cost Pressures Initiative” focuses on operational expenditures that ASBOA members have identified as having risen significantly over the past three years, without sufficient funding to address specific fixed and uncontrollable costs. As part of this effort, ASBOA collected data on key operational expenses from the past three years, along with cost projections for the 2024/25 school year.
The 2024 Cost Pressures Report aims to inform Alberta Education's 2025-2026 business planning by highlighting funding gaps and systemic needs, encouraging proactive funding changes. The report identifies strategies school jurisdictions use to manage costs and explores opportunities to save through economies of scale and provides benchmarks for school jurisdictions to compare their costs across categories.
This report offers validated data to support Education Partners and advocacy efforts at both provincial and local levels. ASCA is grateful to ASBOA for undertaking this important work, and will utilize the data within it to inform current and future advocacy efforts on behalf of our Members.
ASCA Advocacy Update October 2024
ASCA President Ken Glazebrook, October 2024
ASCA President Ken Glazebrook, Past President Brandi Rai, and Executive Director Wendy Keiver met with Minister Nicolaides on October 15, 2024. The focus on the discussion was the Advocacy Policies passed by ASCA Members at the 2024 AGM related to Preserving Safe and Inclusive Spaces for 2SLGBTQI+ Students (P24-05) and ER24-01 Opposing the Alberta Government's Proposed Policies Re: "Preserving Choice for Children and Youth".
The Minister listened attentively and informed the ASCA Executive team that the Alberta Government would be bringing forward its proposed policies and regulations this fall. The Minister indicated that opportunities for providing feedback would still continue.
ASCA Advocacy Update September 2024
ASCA Board Sept 21, 2024
Your Board of Directors welcomed Education Minister Nicolaides to its meeting on Saturday, September 21st and provided the Minister with perspectives they’d heard from parents around the province related to enrollment, facility and transportation pressures, funding for critical student supports, and ensuring the continued inclusion and support of 2SLGBTQI+ students in Alberta schools.
ASCA Advocacy Update June 2024
Shortly after ASCA Member School Councils approved 21 new Advocacy Policies (APs) at the Association’s 2024 AGM, newly elected president, Kerry Bodell started ASCA’s advocacy efforts by sending letters to the six (6) Ministers identified in the new Advocacy Policies, and requested a meeting with Education Minister Nicolaides to discuss some of them.
Minister Nicolaides met with the ASCA Executive team on June 4th, and President Bodell highlighted the rationale of the following APs: P24-04 – Equity in Playground Funding, P24-06 – Resource Support for French Immersion Teachers (Available Before Implementation of Curriculum Changes), ER24-02 – Preserve Non-Partisan Elections for Alberta School Board Trustees, P24-03 – Improving Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in Alberta Classrooms & Shared Environments. The Minister and his staff were very attentive, engaging meaningfully in the discussions, and committing to provide ASCA with information and updates on some of the items discussed.
A subsequent meeting with the Minister has also been requested, to address the eight (8) APs adopted focused on 2SLGBTQI+ students. President Bodell and the ASCA Board of Directors will continue to provide updates and information to ASCA’s Members, as they are received.
President Bodell has also met with several education partners and stakeholders in the last two months, using each of these opportunities to advance ASCA Members’ perspectives on many of the issues and topics identified at the 2024 and previous AGMs.
ASCA’s Advocacy Policy Manual is being updated to reflect the addition of the 21 new Advocacy Policies and will be posted publicly as soon as this work is completed.
As the 2024-2025 ASCA Board of Directors identifies its priorities for the upcoming year, ongoing efforts of Advocacy and Member engagement will remain a strong focus.
