MICHAEL ZWAAGSTRA: Alberta school trustees should stay in their lane

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School trustees have a lot on their plates. They set school budgets, hire senior administrators, select educational programs for students, and so on.

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So it’s understandable that trustees are quick to complain when they believe their school boards receive inadequate provincial funding. For example, Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) trustees have repeatedly described Alberta’s provincial funding model as “broken” and claim that funding does not keep pace with rapid growth in student enrolment. But a recent motion passed by EPSB makes one wonder whether their trustees have the right priorities.

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By a 5-2 vote, earlier this month EPSB trustees voted to review their board’s admission policies to make it easier to enrol students who do not have valid immigration status. To be clear, the Alberta government only provides education funding for students with at least one parent who is a legitimate resident of the province. In other words, children whose parents are in the country illegally are not eligible to receive taxpayer-funded education. (Incidentally, a majority of voters in Monday’s referendum voted to support a “law mandating that only Canadian citizens, permanent residents and individuals with an Alberta-approved immigration status will be eligible for provincially-funded programs” including “education.”)

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Of course, if the EPSB chooses to enrol students who are ineligible for provincial education funding, it must either charge them tuition or cover the cost out of its budget. Given that most families without a valid immigration status likely can’t afford tuition, absorbing the cost into the EPSB budget is the most likely outcome. Last year, in recognition of this problem, EPSB trustees unanimously passed a motion asking the Alberta government to amend the Education Act so students without valid immigration status may receive full provincial education funding.

But Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides rejected the request, which means EPSB trustees had a choice to make — either stay in their lane and educate students they currently have or enrol students who don’t have valid immigration status and cover the costs from their budget. Sadly, in the 5-2 vote, trustees chose the second option. It would have been much wiser to leave provincial education policy to the provincial government. If the EPSB truly struggles to provide a quality education to students currently enrolled, inflating their enrolment by adding ineligible students will make things worse.

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Indeed, a recent study of spending on Canadian public schools found federal immigration policies have a significant impact on school board budgets. Beginning in 2021, the number of immigrants to Canada skyrocketed. In Alberta, 8,144 school-aged students (ages 5-17) migrated to the province in the 2021/22 school year, which was more than double the rate the previous year. Subsequent years saw an even higher number of school-aged students migrating to Alberta. Of course, it’s uncertain what percentage of these school-aged students have valid immigration status, but increasing the number of students in EPSB schools will significantly impact the school board’s budget.

It’s not the role of local school boards to determine immigration rules or adjudicate eligibility for provincially funded programs. If trustees want to change federal or provincial laws, they should resign and run for provincial or federal office. A trustee’s job is to provide teachers with quality professional development, ensure that reading instruction programs are based on the science of reading, empower principals to enforce clear discipline policies, among other things. These policies will improve student learning without breaking the bank.

All trustees, including those in EPSB, should stay in their lane.

Michael Zwaagstra is a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute.

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