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news release for immediate release Community helps set Calgary Board of Education priorities for additional fundingCALGARY—More than 6,100 people ranked Calgary Board of Education priorities for additional funding from the provincial government. People who completed the survey were asked to rate the importance of 10 priorities. The list of priorities came from school principals and budget-related issues for the 2011-12 school year. In addition, people were invited to add priorities they thought were missing. The findings will be factored into how the CBE uses additional funding to benefit students as soon as possible. The first question will be about funding: the amount, the timing and whether there are guidelines for its use. Second, the CBE will review its strategic priorities and community input to propose the best use for the funding. Third, Administration will recommend a plan for the Board of Trustees’ consideration. Here is a summary of how people ranked the priorities. The numbers shown indicate the number of people who rated each priority and the weighted average of the scores. On a 10-point scale, people were asked to rate their highest priority “one.” This means that the lower the weighted average, the higher the priority.
There were more than 900 written responses, many of which repeated the choices above. The most common response was smaller class sizes, with 138 mentions. Hiring teachers and library resources were mentioned 45 and 60 times respectively. People described themselves as follows:
Parents and CBE employees largely agree on the priorities, ranking most of the 10 in the same order. The CBE initiated an online survey after Alison Redford won the leadership of the Alberta PC Party. During her campaign, Redford promised to restore $107 million to education funding. Premier Redford and newly-appointed Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk announced Wednesday that the promise is being kept and that funding will come as soon as “practicable.” The survey was open from Oct. 4 to 11. It is the second survey of its kind the CBE has conducted in 2011. The previous survey was about budget and generated 1,455 responses. Naomi Johnson, Chief Superintendent of Schools, says, “We are grateful to the thousands of people who took time to help us understand what matters most to them in public education.” - 30 -
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