Overcrowding in Public Schools

It's getting dire.

Calgary Board of Education (CBE) schools added 7,000 new students last year. It expects to add 9,000 new students this year. For those 16,000 new students, the UCP government has just one school under construction in Calgary. The result? Intense overcrowding.

It’s grim. It’s dire. It’s awful. It’s unacceptable.

Parents are letting me know how betrayed they feel. I, too, am a parent of children in CBE schools. I have seen firsthand—and parents tell me—about the impact of classes being held in music rooms, libraries, staff rooms.

I believe that every child deserves a fair shot in life, that every child matters, that we in Alberta built a great province that educates children and raises them to be world champions. That didn’t happen by accident. It happened because parents, taxpayers, citizens, teachers, administrators, and (yes) elected officials accepted nothing less.

I greatly fear that unless Danielle Smith’s UCP government changes course, we risk generational damage to our education system. I’m fighting against that, fighting for you, and fighting for Albertans.

But I can’t do it alone. It’s going to take all of us.

Please come talk to me at the New Member Welcome Barbeque on Sunday, August 25th at noon, and let me know your thoughts on how to save our education system. Or share anything else that’s on your mind.

This event is exclusive to Alberta NDP members only. If you’re not a member, please sign up here.