Mr. Bhardwaj questions Minister of Education about school closures
The following is copied from the February 16, 2010 printed transcripts of the Legislative debate and discussion.
Mr. Bhardwaj (Edmonton-Ellerslie PC): Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker. I have heard many of my constituents tell me that if you close down
a school, you damage the community. Well, there have been lots of rumours
about school closures, not just in the teachers’ lounges but right here in the
Legislature. My question is to the Minister of Education. What are
you doing to keep schools open and keep Alberta’s communities
from further damage?
Mr. Hancock (Edmonton-Whitemud PC): Well, Mr. Speaker,
obviously it’s important to have schools in communities where kids
are. It’s important to have schools in communities because schools are
oftentimes the core of the community, but it’s not possible to keep schools
open if there are no kids for them. We asked the school boards. The school
boards have to make the most appropriate judgment, in their judgment, as
to what is the best educational opportunity for the children within
their jurisdiction. They have that authority, they have that ability,
and they do it well.
The Speaker: The hon. member.
Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Alberta’s
population has been growing over the past few years, especially in
areas like my constituency of Edmonton-Ellerslie in southeast
Edmonton and other outlying areas. To the same minister: what is
the government doing to deal with this population growth?
Mr. Hancock: Mr. Speaker, in fact, that is the problem that we face
because under the ASAP program we are building 18 schools in
Edmonton and Calgary, one of them in the member’s constituency.
That is good for those communities because we don’t have to bus
those children to other schools. I would say that that does not mean
that all the schools in the inner city or other neighborhoods have to
be closed. In fact, the Edmonton public school board has provided
one of the best models in the country with respect to the city centre
school project, where they provide better educational opportunities
with fewer schools but better schools for those students.
The Speaker: The hon. member.
Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My final
supplemental to the same minister: are there any plans to examine
the regulations surrounding the school closures?
Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr. Speaker, we are, obviously, with our
Inspiring Education project looking at everything right from the very
top with respect to how education is delivered in a 21st century
model, how we make sure that we have the right kind of educational
opportunities for students, and part and parcel of that will be a reexamination
of what kind of physical platform we need to deliver
education in communities. So we will be looking at that, and in the
meantime we are looking at our school closure regulations, and
we’re working with municipalities to make sure that school properties
can survive a closure and live to be of community purpose until
they’re needed again as a school. (118)
