Lakeland Separate School Division filed a petition of notice to start a Catholic school in Athabasca based on the old school division lines from Athabasca School District #839 in 1903. Catholics must be identified within those boundaries and if they are a minority, they can vote on whether to establish a separate school in town.
Over 100 people attended the two-hour meeting where several members of the division spoke about the potential impact of siphoning off students from the public schools into a separate system. Parents in attendance also expressed concerns from transparency of the people behind the petition, to how a small number of people could potentially impact the future of education for the community.
Aspen View Public School Division Supt. Neil O’Shea spoke about how inclusive the division already is, saying the public system is already providing everything students need.
“Public education educates kids regardless of their race, regardless of their nationality. We don't care what god you pray to (or) whether you even pray to a god. We don't care who you love. We don't care how much money you have. Public education is not concerned with what language you speak, or your academic ability. Public education is the foundation of a democratic and informed society. Public education is there for all people, for all kids,” he said. “It is inclusive, and it doesn't separate us by what we believe, how much money we have or anything else.”
O’Shea questioned the process behind why a separate school is needed considering Aspen View already offers Religious Instruction (RI) at its schools in partnership with the Athabasca Ministerial Society that is comprised of Catholic Protestant and missionary leaders.
"I have heard over the years that that program has been diminished in time. The question I have around why is why hasn't anybody come spoken to us?” he asked. “Why hasn't anybody come to us and said, ‘Hey, can we sit down and talk about this? Is there a way we can move forward?’”
Bryan Taylor, the contact person for the group pushing for the Catholic school, did not attend the meeting but confirmed the cutting of RI time is a factor and did admit that talking to Aspen View would be the logical first step.
“I've been talking to some of my fellow parents and parishioners, and I heard that the (RI) program I'm teaching right now used to be over an hour, but over the last few years it's actually been cut back to half an hour,” Taylor said in an interview the next day.
Aspen View board chair Candy Nikipelo reinforced what O’Shea said, adding that the division covers the town and county of Athabasca, Boyle, the counties of Thorhild and Smoky Lake and that collaboration is key when it comes to education.
“From our perspective, what rural sustainability means is that strong communities built strong schools, but also in turn, strong schools build strong communities,” Nikipelo said. “The key to rural sustainability, is building those opportunities and working together.”
Referencing a Feb. 4 editorial in the Athabasca Advocate, Nikipelo stated she and the rest of the trustees do not regard students as a leverage.
“There's been some rhetoric that is a Catholic school really such a bad idea, and there was a suggestion that perhaps healthy competition is better, that it creates a better system because then the school system has to work harder to gain those students or pull those families in. It's our belief that education should never be a matter of competition. We don't use our students, our children as commodities. That's for business, that's not for education,” she said.
Taylor however feels that there is a desire for a separate school, regardless of denomination.
“I do believe there is an appetite out there for people who want it and even though Catholics are the only ones allowed to vote on it, there are other people of other religions who have expressed an interest in having religious base school,” Taylor explained. “There were some from the Reformed Church who were interested, and I also approached members of the Shiloh Tabernacle as well.”
By the numbers
Alberta
42 public school divisions serving approximately 500,000 students
17 separate school divisions serving approximately 176,000 students
4 Francophone school divisions serving approximately 9,000 students
13 charter schools serving approximately 10,000 students
Athabasca
2010 – 3125 Aspen View students
2019 – 2713 Aspen View students
O’Shea pointed out that every opportunity is provided for students to have access to myriad educational and extracurricular activities that may not be sustainable if too many students are moved into a separate system.
“We have lots of options that are a rich source of programming right here in this town for our students,” he said. “If student enrolment in Athabasca is divided into two systems, it is predictable neither system would be able to offer programming comparable to what we currently have.”
With over 200 students in French Immersion all the way from Whispering Hills Primary School to EPC, Landing Trail Intermediate School principal Joe MacIsaac also expressed concerns on what a dual system will mean to the 35-year-old program.
“Athabasca is the smallest community with a French Immersion program in our province, which is actually quite remarkable considering the population of what we draw from,” he said.
O’Shea added, “We already in Athabasca have a difficult time attracting specialist teachers. Specialists of course being in industrial arts and music and drama specialists. However, in math (and) high school sciences, those are teacher shortages around the province.”
Taylor though pointed to Grimshaw and how the public and separate schools work together.
“They recently built two new schools on to their multiplex; one Catholic, one public,” he said. “They use the same facility and they collaborate on quite a few different elective courses.”
O’Shea however suggested that there is no need for a separate school division when public divisions can run separate schools.
“You can go to Sherwood Park, and there's the Strathcona Christian Academy. (It) used to be a private school that came under the umbrella of the public system. The notion that public system can't teach religion is actually false,” he stated.
Beyond the concerns for education, other services may be hindered by allowing a second school division to operate O’Shea said, citing how Alberta Health Services also struggles to retain staff specializing in occupational therapy for the students.
“Alberta Health Services has a very difficult time attracting and retaining some of those specialized services that our kids need, and...it would further stretch or further place burden on Alberta Health Services if we were to have another school system,” he explained.
O’Shea stressed it is a constitutional right for minority ratepayers to start a separate school division and that it’s embedded in the Constitution. He said it’s not about Catholics versus non-Catholics but about keeping the community strong and offering students the best educational opportunities.
“We have no quarrel with anybody in this room or in this community,” he said. “We have got to look out for our students. We have got to look out for our community. We've got to make sure we have strong programming, not only today, but in the years to come.”
How it works
A census must be completed of all residences within the defined boundary to identify who is Catholic. Out of those, 25 per cent must show up to vote on whether there should be a Catholic school and of that 25 per cent then 50 per cent plus one must vote in in the affirmative. For example, if 400 people identify as Catholic, 100 will need to vote and to pass, a minimum of 51 must vote in favour of the separate school.
For parent Shelley Jackson and others, that process doesn’t make sense and they are frustrated that so few can impact so many.
“They're hiding behind faith to me right now; I don't know who you are,” she said. “You're deciding my daughter's future and I don't get a say.”
O’Shea agreed saying, "A choice for parents doesn’t always make it a choice for students.”
Trustee Anne Karczmarczyk concluded by telling those with concerns to keep asking questions out in public.
“I encourage all of you to continue the respectful dialogue and questions around this important issue and if you are eligible to vote at the upcoming, vote,” she said. “And if you cannot vote do not think that you don't have a right because you do have a say and exercise your right to say that we are ‘Better Together.’”
Taylor said the census has been concluded and they are finished a mandatory 10-day cool-down period. A date for an open meeting held by the Lakeland Catholic School District must be approved by Alberta Education and advertised in “five prominent locations” for a minimum seven days before the meeting as per legislation.
Taylor released the final census numbers late Sunday evening:
- Protestant – 402
- Roman Catholic – 224
- Neither – 388
- Refused – 176
- No information – 366
“Roman Catholics get to vote,” he said in a text message. “One quarter have to show up to vote. Twenty-five per cent of 224 equals 56. Of the turnout, 50 (per cent) plus one (29 people) have to vote yes.”
If you have not spoken to a census taker or gotten a census form at your door, you must contact Alberta Education as it is mandatory for all residents within the historical boundary lines to be contacted.
Contact the Education minister’s office regarding a missing census or with concerns through the toll-free R.I.T.E Line at 310-0000 and entering 780-427-5010, or by emailing [email protected].
Heather Stocking, TownandCountryToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @HLSox
