Nine months after announcing they would leave the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta, Red Deer Public Schools trustees changed their minds.
Board chair Bev Manning was quick to point out there was an election between the decision to leave in April and the decision to stay at their Dec. 13 board meeting.
Newcomer Nicole Buchanan made a motion to rejoin the PSBAA, which led to a spirited debate and the board voting in favour of staying with the organization.
“She felt it was a very practical motion in that the PSBAA advocates for one publicly funded school system and that’s something Red Deer Public has passed a motion towards,” said Manning. “If we wanted to stay in that sphere of influence it would be a good idea to maintain our membership.”
In effect, the board never left. They would have left the organization at the end of December after their April decision. The move to stay negates the spring decision.
The trustees attended the PSBAA’s conference and Manning said they had an opportunity to look at the organization a little closer.
The fees to be a part of the organiation are more than $30,000 a year. Their original decision to leave was a combination of saving money from the fee to participate and how the PSBAA was speaking on their behalf.
One of the organization’s largest goals is to move unify Alberta’s school system under one banner.
After voting to leave, the board then passed a motion to advocate for a single publicly-funded school system in Alberta. In effect, doing what the PSBAA had done but on their own terms.
mcrawford@reddeeradvocate.com
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