Calgary Board of Education: Kids < Bureaucratic Money

The following is an e-mail that was sent out to parents of students in the Calgary Board of Education. It is there response to Bill 1- A Reduction in School Fees. Please note my pithy, yet thought out response will follow in bold italics. Also note that it is an organization using tried and true status quo methods of deflection in Alberta—when in doubt blame another level of governance for you inability to actually serve those you are charged to serve. As many have noted government is neither business nor non (not) for profit but a hybrid with a dash of exceptional. For far too long in Alberta we have settled for mediocre, and as the School Board Trustee elections approach in October 2017 I implore all Calgarians to vote for anyone but the incumbents for the future of our kids.

Now without further ado, their status quo deflection:

Update on Fees and Transportation for 2017-18

Dear Parents/Guardians On Thursday March 2, the Provincial Government introduced Bill 1 – An Act to Reduce School Fees. This legislation will impact transportation service levels and fees for CBE families beginning this fall. As directed by Alberta Education, on March 3, 2017 the CBE forwarded a letter from the Minister outlining some details about changes to transportation. At that time he wrote: “Bill 1, if passed, will also remove bus fees for eligible students traveling to their designated school. That means that if your child attends his or her designated school and that school is more than 2.4 kilometres away from your home, you will not be charged transportation fees. In some circumstances – for example, if parents choose to enrol their child in a school other than their designated school – fees may still be incurred.” We still have many questions about this legislation. We are working with the government to seek clarification and work through the details. Until we better understand the impacts on fees and service levels for our families, transportation pre-registration for the 2017-18 school year cannot begin. We had planned to begin in late April. However, with the introduction of Bill 1 this process will be delayed. Early registration helps us plan our routes more efficiently resulting in fewer changes in the fall. It also allows us to share more accurate route information with our families sooner. We know this timing may be challenging for our families. During our engagement last year families clearly stated they wanted information on transportation – including service levels, stop locations and timing – as early as possible to begin planning for the next school year. We will do our best to provide information on routes as quickly as possible. We are also seeking clarification on instructional supplies or materials (ISM) fees. We need to understand if this includes bulk purchase of schools supplies for students in grades K-6. We will continue to update you once we have more specific details about Bill 1 and what it will mean for CBE families.

My Response from my FB status April 7, 2017:

So CBE multi-million dollar organization is told to start doing their work within the grounds of the constitution, and they e-mail parents pleading poverty essentially, and that services may be cut to the kids—- hmmm… or do what responsible service providers do and look where cuts can actually happen– that is between budget disbursement and kids, look at the bureaucracy, the pay of CBE trustees, and quit threatening the educational mechanism on the front lines. Do not tell us you cannot start taking registration for busing, plan routes, or are unclear on being able to purchase supplies for our kids. Oh and did you remember this year to collect all tax money from the city? Bill 1 is not the enemy, Bill 1-an act to reduce school fees– is actually making life affordable for families, now do what you were elected to do and provide quality education, safe transportation for our kids.

P.S. The Bus Fee controversy is the CBE finally being called out on the smoke & mirrors they did a few years back to punish Special Needs kids and families. We never have a say in where our kids go to school, the CBE designates based on support structures (which makes sense). For this we paid a reduced rate. Parents of typically developing kids got uppity, but instead of working towards what the government has now imposed, short-sighted “fairness” un-advocates accepted raising bus rates for special needs kids, to the typically developing kids rates.

Now if you send your child to an non-designated school that is your choice, and yes you should pay for buses. But if the school, regardless of child, is designated and requires to be bused, I agree with the Ministry of Education, there should be no charge.

-30- for now.

Advertisement

An Open Letter to Premier Rachel Notley

Dear Premier Notley:

You did the impossible, toppled a dynasty that had begun rotting from the centre out, the top down, the bottom up and the outside in. 44 years and done. Yet in the time your new Government has been in power it has been the same cycle of petty partisan politics, and not the new day we hoped for casting our votes for change.

This is an open letter to your government to refocus on Albertans in such a way that partisanship no longer matters. Business should not longer be conducted as the Tory-tatorship did it.  It needs to be open, party branding becoming irrelevant, and getting the best MLA’s regardless of party affiliation for the job.

It is not just about rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, oil economies have cycles of ups and downs, but during downs stimulus and change need to be the focus.

What does this mean? This is simply one Albertans’ perspective:

1. Time to let the Skeletons out of the Closets, a full audit of government by an outside body. Time to clean house of cronyism, backroom deals, forced through legislation, hidden taxes (the Government calls them user fees), and bringing all laws in line with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Constitution Act 1982, and the Health Act. Yes in a far sweeping inquiry some Dippers may go down as well, but if they are not focused on the full good of Alberta then so they should.
2. Term Limits: Hard and fast for all elected officials…that’s right MLA’s limited to 3 elected terms in their life times; and for the Civic Elections your government oversees, 2 term limits only. Time to abolish the idea of politician as a career and get it back to true public service. Oh and shrink the size of the Legislature seriously we are at least 20 MLA’s to large (MLA Greg Clarke would be great to spear head these changes)
3. MLA Pension/Severance Packages—seriously???? Simply put, follow your party’s conscience with Raj Pannu’s votes on these issues: NO!!!! Abolish retroactively.
4. Health care: this should be a no brainer for a NDP government with the proud history of Tommy Douglas–a true one pay system is the cheapest most efficient–time to get Alberta back on track with public health care, and stretch it to include dental and optical.  MLA David Swann would be great to take on this portfolio.
5. Charging for parking at hospitals—this is a ridiculous fee for service that keeps low income Calgarians away from accessing care, and families financially challenged for accessing the Children’s Hospital.
6. AB Works/AISH/Human Services—the greatest inefficiencies as it is a system designed to keep people out, not work with the person at the community level to ensure proper care for Albertans….and seriously who decided that $323/month was an appropriate rental allowance for a person on social assistance?
7. Pay Day Loans–seriously, we still allow legalized loan sharking—a 6% rate drop is not even a start of a solution-let a Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt  take on this cancer.
8. School boards—Okay, huge bureaucracy, huge expenses on elections, and elected boards which are minimally duplicated twice in the public arena by Public and Catholic boards, then multiple fundings for private schools, etc…  Hmmm…what a quagmire? Perhaps it is time to realize that school principles can handle budgets, every child is appropriately coded, and each building has a need of a care taking staff for up keep with centralized trades people for bigger issues than that…yet what we have is schools falling apart, private schools admitting they get monies for special needs kids but direct the money away from the child to the general pool (YES HERITAGE Christian Academy Calgary I am looking at you and your admission 4 years ago at a Renfrew School Parents Recruitment Night, at least unlike the other Special Needs Private School you had enough common sense not to refer to our kids with the “R” word)…and so on… so what does all the excess bureaucracy give us? A craptacular education system, that needs to be reduced to simplicity…a few accountants in the Education Minister’s office doing money transfers to the schools to manage their finances. Abolishing all boards and folding into one local public school, oh and the tax money paid through taxes? Calgary Board of Education never collects it all—bad money management, that can be pooled. What does a localized strong public school give to a community? A central gathering point of celebration, learning and growth. As communities cycle through ages, and school attendance numbers drop do not sell off the capital, reinvigorate it with ideas for changing demographics, using different spaces for different community programs i.e. seniors clubs, social clubs, etc.
9. Busing, lunch room fees and school fees…. seriously! Constitution Act 1982–Free Public Education—have you read it recently? And as a family with a special needs child, we have no choice in where our son goes to school, so then we get dinged for busing when I can’t take him to his local school.
10. Utility companies—California failed with deregulation–then Klein deregulated—it is time to end this horrible experiment that punishes families financially.

Alberta is a great province to live in. But the cost of living is going through the roof, look at the high level of access of community meals, food banks, those opting out of the illegal school fees, making tough choices on paying the utility bills, internet (yes it is no longer optional in an education world that drives more to have everything online) or rent.

This is an open letter for there was hope when the Government changed…but that hope needs to be reignited…are you a Premier that will move beyond ideology to solutions that will help Albertans? Solutions that will correct decades of errors and punishments on the working classes?

Remember, the Alberta Government is not the NDP Party, it is made up of 84 MLA’s from across 5 parties currently, and it is a mixture of this wisdom that Albertans want guiding our province forward. Are you willing to actually show that Government can work for the people?

Sincerely,
Ty Ragan

A Parent, a Taxpayer, someone wondering where more money is to miraculously appear from.

Direct Energy Steals Money from Family

I can already here the outcry going that is rather harsh words for the hard done by corporation that is Direct Energy, but it has been a long road to attempt to get back from them, $153 which they are refusing to return. Which may not seem like a huge amount but for a family with a special needs child and another child, that is a good chunk of our grocery budget.

This story begins on July 4 when bill payments were put forward online. To save money on bank fees I avoid the auto pays, and it also allows for when utilities fluctuate to not have to get behind on a bill.

During this round of bill payment I could swear like every month I clicked Just Energy as with the last 3 years of payments, but I do not know if it was my error or the website payment but this money went to Direct Energy Regulated Services instead (to a closed account I might add).

This error was discovered when the new Just Energy bill came to my inbox mid month and it was double what it should be, and a bit of checking revealed the error. We are now at the beginning of August and Direct Energy is incommunicado and not willing to refund the money.

Here is what is known for truth:

1. Direct Energy did not respond to any online contact attempts to correct the error.
2. Friday night July 29 I spoke to 4 different operators, the first 3 kept redirecting me away from “This Direct Energy to this Direct Energy Regulated Services Number” which brought me back to the same loop.
3. 4th operator stated that any payment sent to a closed account was impossible as it would bounce right back.
4. Pointed out this had not happened, and there has been no account for 3 years with Direct Energy (whichever one). So I once again gave closed account number, my address, postal code, city, and name. They stated I was not the account holder so they could not disclose anything to me or it would be a breach of privacy.
5. Stated to operator that account holder was my father, we share same last name. Operator still would not budge.
6. My father called back the following day, Direct Energy stated if there was money received in error a cheque would be processed within 30 days and sent out, but would not verify when or if this would happen. This is now to the account holder on record.
7. Why account holder of a closed account on record does not matter in this case: (a) Direct Energy had been accepting payments from the non-account holder for years up until 3 years ago, so this would already show a breach of privacy on their part as I was getting the bills to my e-mail. (b) Just Energy took over the account 3 years ago with my signature authorizing it.  This shows Direct Energy accepted me as the account holder and as such should have simply EFT’ed the money back to my account.
8. The Hail Mary if you will, was contacting my actual bank. The online secure contact with the details proved fruitless for their secure online answer was call their 24/7 customer line to open an investigation.
9. Called the 24/7 line last night, and the operator was as helpful as they could be. An investigation was opened and money was credited back to my account with the caveat it would remain ONLY if DIRECT ENERGY refunded the money to the bank, otherwise they would mail me a letter out and remove the money.
10. So there is $153 in my account sitting there that I could use for groceries, but could not take the hit of money being pulled out if Direct Energy is like Direct Energy.

So that is the story awaiting resolution, that needs to be shared so others can understand the convoluted system that exists with Alberta’s privatized/de-regulated power sector. The crime that has been perpetuated upon us, and that truly there is no mechanism in place to reclaim any monies from mega-corps.

Our family waits, to see if the money turns up, for to keep the power on I had to pay out double to Just Energy end of July which skewered quite badly our family budget, it harkens back to the Klein Days of Alberta of “Feed the Kids or pay the power”.

-30-

A Yearning for Leadership

It is weird on the day we honour the mass lynching of anywhere from 3 to 300 with the way showerer, Jesus of Nazareth by the oppressive powers we have a debacle of Roman Empire proportions playing out in the U.S. of A Presidential Primaries. Trump/Cruz/Clinton playing out with announcements of sex scandals, misogyny, leaked e-mails, who gets funds from whom, which party is responsible for ISIL/ISIS—and yet there is a loss of reality in that all those vying to lead are from the 1% whether they are party insiders or outsiders, using the fear speech of economics; fear speech of religion, or fear speech of whatever what is being propagated is a level of energy of hatred and fear of other.

Now I am not writing this as a Canadian to bash my neighbours to the south, in Alberta we have our own issues of fear mongering and 1% attempt at rule. The #YYCGreenway by-election that was narrowly won by Prab Gill showed signs of what is wrong with our body politic. Whether it was scandals or pseudo scandals emerging on the Wildrose Candidate around illegal pay for workers; or the Alberta Liberals running a former Wildrose Candidate who may or may not have made up membership when he was with the WRP (can’t the Grits find any Grits to run? Why always former conservatives?); I won’t even touch the almost Trumpesque views of Independent Larry Heather or the NDP candidate that had a break down not being able to handle being the party in power candidate during a debate. It was a debacle more focused on if the former PC dynasty’s life support system was going to let the party crouch along, what message would be sent to the NDP, and if the results could lead to a WRP takeover of the right?

So why this early morning ramble? Simple, there is something the electorate through the false argument of A-P-A-T-H-Y has allowed to slip out of our body politic. That is actual leadership.

We have taken this idea from the Harris/Klein “Common Sense” revolutions that destroyed the “Just Society” of Canada, the ideals of partisanship above leadership and made our party colours more important than local candidates, and the cult of party leader personality instead of local representation to lead us.

Due to this we have allowed the party mechanism to not have to put forward vision. They debate bank balances, they debate why this platform is wrong, or why this law is wrong, not functioning in the opposition benches to improve the bills and laws put forward. You know actually working for citizens?

What can change?

Simple, I actually provincially like the Alberta Party’s idea of  having to live in the actual constituency you are running in. That way you are actually connected and held accountable by neighbours.

Part of it as well, is an idea, should we elect the Premier/Prime Minister separately from the local member? What about going back to an older idea of the Great Depression in Alberta where the United Farmers would run a slate of independents and then the members of the Legislature would elect whom they wanted as the Premier. Think about that needing to be local, and then all the local candidates needing to decide who they would hold to account as the First Minister, then the cabinet having to be non-partisan multi-party with membership percentages made up of party vote percentage, and caveats to appoint independents. But also, the portfolios the ministers are given they have to show how they are qualified.

Why?

The hope would be to move beyond petty squabbling, beyond griping and fear mongering. The idea would be then that each candidate would need to cast a vision, and then work with the broader communities to shape a better governance like the Canadian Constitution Act 1982 guarantees: Peace, Order, and Good Governance.

It also makes each local race important, and opens up the possibility of a wider cross section as candidates are sought out locally based on their character and passion.

Just some Saturday morning thoughts on the state of politics and desperately wanting leaders to rise up for a change.

 

Alberta Vote 2015: The School Question

Ah with 29 MLA’s either resigning or running under a different party colour (thank you Wildrose Defection Fleet). And add to that the “needing a new mandate for the rough economic times ahead” jargon from Premier Prentice with the smoke & mirrors of a 5% Cabinet wage roll back, well…the air this end of winter is smelling like Election.

So it is time to shift gears in our conversations from those things under Federal Jurisdiction in the Constitution Act 1982, to those things under the auspices of the provinces. Within Alberta one of the major things is Schools. The lack of space, the “lottery” horror (c’mon I buy a house across the street from a school, I should be able to have my kids cross the road and go to that school), grading, curriculum, use/over use of technology, lack of schools, and general maintenance being on the decline as there is a shift from janitorial and cleaning to “sanitizing”.

Okay so the state is abysmal, and our lovely Education Minister Gordon Dirks won his seat in a by-election by promising his area to fast track schools, and that promise while the Ethics Commissioner cleared him of wrong doing has been back pedalled on.

So what do we know about Alberta schools funding?

Mostly through Casinos.

There is property tax where a home owner can declare Public or Seperate Board. From the Public monies public schools, charter schools and private schools (private schools receive 70% of their funding from taxes) are funded.

Thoughts are to maintain the status quo.

Move to a grade free system for marking or to move back to a more traditional school curriculum to ensure students learn the basics well, or a hybrid of something in the middle.

For funding, it does need to be funded properly, reliant on an overtaxed volunteer pool and economically strapped homes to continually fund raise is insanity. And this is my only statement on school fees: Unconstitutional.

As for bussing fees? This is only an issue because local public schools cannot handle local students. In the case of special needs students who have no choice on the school they attend it is a disgrace that families need to pay to transport.

Now as for governance of schools there are some things to think through and question candidates and parties on:

1) Should we elect school board trustees?

2) Local boards or mega boards?

3) Eliminate school boards all together and move to a streamlined administrator for each county/city that administers the budgets to local principals and empowers them and the PTA’s to deem hiring choices of staff, etc.

Now comes the touchy questions, what to do with our multiple school systems:

1) Do we strip public monies from private schools?

2) Do we continue to have both public and seperate schools? Charter Schools? Or for better use of monies do we have a plebiscite on merging these all into one streamlined public system?

Even if you do not have children, or yours have grown and left the system, our public education system a cornerstone of a healthy democracy and society. It is where children should learn to care for their community, a public school can become a soul of energy for a community, it is also, and yes this is a scary word, where children learn to value multi-culturalism, and become citizens with healthy and good values. Yes values, morals, ethics, things that aid in building a decent human being. When schools are healthy, and house holds are healthy, and they work together then our children flourish into adults that transform our society for the better.

Where do you stand with the School Question?

What to do with the Floor Crosser?

Yes this is another political post as we prep for the October 2015 Federal Election, and what most pundits here in Alberta are guessing to be a April 2015 provincial election. Now there has always been defections from elected officials parties, whether it is to sit as an independent, or life circumstances leading to an early resignation. The resignation will trigger a by-election usually mandated within 6 months of the seat being vacated.

In Alberta just before the end of 2014 the opposition was gutted with 13 Wildrose MLA’s crossing the floor to join the governing PC Party, one of the crossers had previously defected from the PC’s to the Wildrose. Prior to 2012 Liberal Leader Raj Sherman had crossed the floor from the PC’s.

Each time a defection or floor crossing happens there is righteous indignation, and choices made that the party they were elected under no longer fit their values. Which is fine.

The question as a voter that we need to raise is to remove the sting of the personal betrayal, remove the spin and actually open up a dialogue about what to do with an elected official who deems to leave the party they were elected in.

1) Status Quo can be held.

2) Allow a cooling off period where the elected official must serve out the remainder of the term as an independent then can seek nomination with whatever party they want to run under.

3) Automatically have a by-election triggered and treat the wanting to cross the floor as a resignation.

4) If there is a floor crossing, allow for recall legislation.

5) Your thoughts?

That is the key, what value do we place on the elected official as a person? As a party mascot? And what value do we place on the votes that placed them in the assembly?

These are questions to ask those running in your area and the party’s putting forward candidates. This election around, there is also the ballot commentary as you look at a floor crosser in your riding and decide if you agree with their new political home or not.

The Real Smith and Wildrose

Smith changes her tune and is completely off-key.

Do not know which is scarier–that she has said this, or that she continues smoke and mirror practices during this election to hide it.  What is most disturbing?

-End of Abortion

-Abomination of Gay Marriage

-Or that they (politicians-sync WRP) will be wily enough to violate any charter right they want without due process…

Should the list go on?

What about social conservatism micromanagement of an individuals value life or that the judiciary is not necessary?

These are the behind the line context of the truth behind her happy go lucky moderate campaign persona.

On April 23 be informed before you vote.

Vulcan…or Wildrose Party?

Vulcan…or Wildrose Party?.

Great comparison…but Danielle with the fail on the Vulcan greeting and the condescending grimace—someone just lost the Trekkie vote 🙂

Thin-skinned Wildrose bullies attack the media, again

Thin-skinned Wildrose bullies attack the media, again.

The Wildrose Party is proving to be more thin skinned, and bullish than the Klein Government of 1993-2006 that saw a decimation of social programs; health care; etc (any historian or Poli worth their salt knows the tale). Klein dissasociated many reporters (rumour being me among the black listed while I was still in High School).

Yet here the WRP is lashing out at journalists attempting to discover truth in their sound bite vote buying platform planks. My dialogues on twitter with their supporters veers very closely into confusion, as the party’s policy writers do not seem to understand the Canadian Constitution Act 1982 (or the BNA Act 1867 for that matter) or the Health Act; the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (and what our rights actually are as Canadians–sorry we are not Americans);the history or character of our province, the diversity of our citizenry in culture, religion, age and socio-economics or the basics of capacity issues when it comes to growing social sectors; the impact of privatization. The fact that school fees are actually illegal and not just a financial impediment to the family.

But why do one’s homework in regards to those you are seeking to lead? Why not just blow smoke and mirrors… this is the result, motions to eliminate communication, and the ability to create accountability and transparency. The question is not just eliminating those things they view as ineffective, but truly understanding why they exist (much like the Human Rights Commission and legislation they want to abolish) and how to make them actually work properly.

But the question does arise, how do they hope to make this all happen? Let’s be honest, it is not the first time a Conservative Party has sold Albertans a “golden ticket solution” to our problems. Sic Klein and Harper’s $100 a month cheque for child care.

Just sayin’ before voting this April 23, scratch the surface, ask the questions, and find the answers…

Related articles

• Wildrose party climbs as Alberta PCs totter (thestar.com)
• Canadian Constitution Day March 29th (thebovine.wordpress.com)
• April Fools’ on the campaign trail (blogs.calgaryherald.com)
• Redford scrambles to quell Albertans’ outcry over MLA payments (theglobeandmail.com)
• Wildrose leader releases financial platform (cbc.ca)
• Wildrose ad targets Redford, signals campaign to get nasty (cbc.ca)
• Leno has fun with the Wildrose ‘busty bus’ (ctv.ca)
• The childless Danielle Smith protests too much (theglobeandmail.com)
• Tories accused of push-polling (cbc.ca)
• Parties promise to stick to high road in Alberta election (ctv.ca)