Letter: Some schooling on charter schools

By Letter to the Editor on May 5, 2022.

Dear editor,

In a previous “Ticked Off, Tickled Pink” there were two commentaries on charter schools. (1) “Charter schools… this is privatization… this will cause families to pay out huge amounts… for schooling.”(2) “…charter schools… Albertans don’t want their government subsidizing private education.” I am no longer on the CAPE School board, but I feel obligated to correct some false biases.

Charter schools are not private. These are public schools, open to all students. These cover the provincial curriculum and requirements, like any other school. These do differ in that these pursue a particular unique program in support of particular needs.

For example, in Alberta, one charter school is First Nation, another addresses those with disabilities, CAPE supports individual student development so every single one gets a program adapted to their abilities and needs. CAPE was also about 30 years ahead of its time by having all its students computer literate with individual laptops and approved software. During COVID-19, CAPE, its staff and students may have been the most prepared and equipped of all schools in Canada for at-home learning.

No, families do not pay a huge amount. CAPE School’s fees are a little higher, but only so that all students, regardless of family income, can attend all activities and have all supplies. There are no continued “extra” fees as other schools charge. No student is left out of field trips because their family could not afford the additional cost.

No, the province is not supporting charter schools. If anything, charter schools are supporting the province. Without help from the province, CAPE School supports those in financial difficulty, sometimes waiving fees or absorbing bad debts where a family was unable to pay. While I was on its board of directors, the school was very appreciative of the provincial funding for many areas. However, there was also a long drawn-out stress as it coped with other areas that were not funded, every year for several years, placing significant burdens on its budget and staff.

As noted above, charter schools play a key role in the educational process. Instead of having 1,000 schools test out a concept or initiative, why not let a charter school try this and see if it works?

And indeed it has worked. A few years ago, Simon Fraser University ranked the CAPE charter school the best school in Medicine Hat, which makes me puzzled. If the group Save Our Students was interested in students, and if the Alberta Teachers Association was interested in teaching, why are these not more supportive of charter schools that have already proven and exceeded expectations?

John Cherwonogrodzky

Medicine Hat

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