Read on Twitter
I sat down with @AdrianaLaGrange today for a 45-minute chat about back to school. We discussed a lot, here are some bullet points:
With outbreaks and hundreds of students in isolation, can we really say this school year has been a success? LaGrange says it& #39;s just the start of the school year and the cases in schools were not contracted in schools, they were from the community. #ABEd
Why not just hire more teachers to reduce class sizes, isn& #39;t that cost worth it? LaGrange says it isn& #39;t about the cost, it& #39;s about whether there are tens of thousands of teachers out there. She says school divisions have been enabled to do what they need to do. #ABEd
One sticking point is funding not being the same as years past, shouldn& #39;t you be spending to keep kids safe in a pandemic? LaGrange says the province has spent money on masks, hand sanitizer, etc. #ABEd
We then drilled down into funding per student and how it& #39;s less than years prior. LaGrange says the funding formulas can& #39;t be compared bc they& #39;re apples and oranges. She says there is $120 million more (but that& #39;s only more than last year, it& #39;s down from 2 years ago) 1/2
She then said there& #39;s capital infrastructure maintenance dollars and they added $263 million from the feds (to which I pointed out that& #39;s federal money, not money from the province). Her response was "there& #39;s only one taxpayer". #ABEd
As for the perception then that the province doesn& #39;t want to spend money on students in a pandemic? LaGrange says that isn& #39;t true and points to how school boards can use their reserves. #ABEd
At what point then will the province step in with more funding? She says school boards feel they have the adequate resources they need at this time. #ABEd
Thoughts on photos showing packed hallways in #yyc? LaGrange says students are wearing masks when they can& #39;t distance. (But Dr. Hinshaw says crowded environments should be avoided even if wearing masks) LaGrange says there are occasions where masks are required. #ABEd
So would you feel comfortable with your grandkids being in an environment like that? LaGrange doesn& #39;t answer the specific question but says she& #39;s comfortable with children following health guidelines to mitigate risk and transmission. #ABEd
As for whether she& #39;s been inside a school? LaGrange says no because of restrictions from school divisions. (But you& #39;re the education minister, shouldn& #39;t you?) She says she would go if invited (which she has been before) and says it& #39;s up to the school board to offer that to her.
An Angus Reid poll shows 35% of Albertans approve of the back to school plan (compare that with 45% across the country). How responsible are you for these numbers? LaGrange says school divisions are doing everything possible and the numbers that matter are down the road.
