Equal funding for Home Education in Alberta

Equal funding for Home Education in Alberta

Started
June 29, 2020
Petition Closed
This petition had 125 supporters

Why this petition matters

Started by Nadia H

Concerning All Albertan Home Educators,

Greetings!  My name is Nadia.

   I have recently undergone a thorough review of the new 2020-2021 Funding Manual for School Authorities posted on the Alberta government website.  Needless to say, I was quite appalled at the inequality of funding that Home Educated students are offered in contrast to their Public Educated counterparts; especially considering that Home Education students presently cost a fraction of the Provincial Budget that Public Education students do.  To aggravate matters, Home Education students have reported to outperform Public Education students across the educational spectrum (yes, even in social skills).  

   Without including the several billions of taxpayer dollars spent for the surfeit of maintenance, special grants and funding programs for Public Schools (whilst the Home Schools get $0.00), the simple Base Instruction Rate Funding amount allotted for Public Education is 3.8 times more than the amount for Home Education.  This is illogical and unjust. 

   EVERY student deserves equal funding and opportunity, and this province needs to start investing money where the results are proven to be most successful (Home Ed.).

   CURRENT FUNDING: Home Education receives is only $1,700.00 and $850.00 of that amount goes to the associate school board and the other $850.00 amount goes to the Home Educator if they provide enough receipts of costs related to Home Education. 

   NEW PROPOSED FUNDING: Base Funding needs to be EQUAL: (these $ amounts are found in Section H of the 2020-2021 Funding Manual for School Authorities)
- Kindergarten: $ 3,032.00 for both Public AND Home Education
- Grades 1-9: $6,064.00 for both Public AND Home Education
- Grades 10-12: $6,670.40 for both Public AND Home Education                                

   How will this new funding be divided between the Home Educator (Parent) and the associate board?
- 20% of the new funding amount will go to the associate board
- 80% of the new funding amount will go to the Home Educator (Parent)
For example:
- Kindergarten: $606.40 of the $3,032.00 funding amount will go to the associate board and $2,425.60 of the $3,032.00 funding amount will go to the Home Educator (Parent)                                                                                                                         - Grades 1-9: $1, 212.80 of the $6,064.00 funding amount will go to the associate board and $4,851.20 of the $6,064.00 funding amount will go to the Home Educator (Parents)                                                                                                                       - Grades 10-12: $1,334.08 of the $6,670.40 funding amount will go to the associate board and $5,336.32 of the $6,670.40 funding amount will go to the Home Educator (Parent)

    And costs like home insurance, property taxes, water, waste, electricity, heat/gas, internet, telephone services need to be allowable of up to 50% reimbursable to the Home Educator/Parent. 

    Additionally, Home Education has NO extra funding for students with special needs which is unacceptable! This needs to change. The Alberta government must make this change by allowing Home Educators the same access to all of the Special Need grants as Public Educators have. Home School students deserve the same access to funding as Public School students with special needs.

   Home Education also has NO extra funding for students that would like to learn a second language or who use English as their second language, this too is unacceptable and needs to change! The Alberta government again must make this change by allowing Home Educators the same access to all of the Grants readily available to Public Educators. Equality is a must in our Education budget!

    I have reached out to the Minister of Finance office and they said this is a matter to be dealt with by the Minister of Education- Adriana LaGrange but she has yet to return my emails or phone calls, and her secretary did not seem too optimistic that she would as she said to me on the phone, "Adriana does not speak to the general public!" So with this petition I am hoping to get her attention, because the more people we have advocating this very important change, the more influence we will have, and the better chance we have of fair funding and opportunities for Home School students.

    Plus now with the uncertainty of the COVID-19 Pandemic looming in our minds, it is becoming clear to many parents that the "brick and mortar" institutions are neither essential, nor safe for their children to be educated; and that the healthiest, most essential place for children to be learning is at home.

    I strongly encourage you to sign this petition and forward it to everyone you know who would be interested in supporting the greatest change in equality in Alberta's Home Education history.

Petition Closed

This petition had 125 supporters

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