History of the Public School Boards' Association of Alberta

Beginning in 1986 the Government of Alberta indicated that it would "re-write" the School Act as one part of preparing the province's education system for the 21st century. At that time public school boards decided that they wanted to come to grips with what makes public (school) education unique, valuable, and attractive to the community. They wanted to promote public school education and ensure that public schooling would be well and fairly dealt with in writing a new School Act, and thereafter.

The Government enacted a new School Act in 1988 and these same supporters felt that public school education had been misunderstood and disadvantaged in a number of ways by some of the provisions of the (then) new legislation. This outcome reinforced the felt need to create a voice for public school education — a positive, imaginative and articulate voice.

In the spring of 1989 the Ft. McMurray, Grande Prairie, and Medicine Hat public school boards and the St. Albert Protestant Separate School District took the initiative to promote the idea of a new association dedicated to advocating on behalf of public schools and public school students. More than 50 boards across the province were ultimately involved in the exploratory meeting, held in the (Edmonton Public Schools) Centre for Education on September 14th, 1989. Shortly thereafter the Public School Boards' Association of Alberta was incorporated under the Societies Act.

At the founding convention (November 25 – 26th, 1989) a first Executive Committee was elected with a mandate to hire an Executive Director, develop a strategy, and begin the exciting work of advocating on behalf of public school education.

David King, a former Minister of Education, was hired in early 1990 to be the first Executive Director, and an office was opened in Bellevue School, in northeast Edmonton.

Very early organizational decisions have continued to benefit the Association through all our work. Boards belong, not individuals, and this means that we can call on all the talent of a jurisdiction — trustees, administrators, classroom teachers, and parents. Every member has one vote, regardless of size, and this has forced us all to think inclusively, all the time. It also forces us to go to the heart of issues without getting tied up in numbers. We have relied on one primary contact with each member board — the Designate — and the role of the Designate is crucial to our on-going success.

Between 1990 and 1993 the Association worked hard to establish its credibility. A strategic plan was developed that focused on advocacy, leadership on issues important to public school education, and the development of trustees and local administrators as leaders for public school education. The Association made the decision that it would not get involved in providing conventional corporate services. The Mission Statement was developed and approved. We began to think of "inclusiveness" and "modeling civil democracy" as the unique, valuable, and attractive characteristics of the public school system. We are committed to community development. The Association also decided that advocating for public school education could involve using the courts, so the Legal Issues Account was established.

During this time the Association made its first submission to a Special Select Committee of the Alberta Legislature. This submission recommended changes to the Constitution so that public school education could be completely inclusive: it also marks the first reference to "mirror equality" — the idea that public school boards must have whatever constitutional rights are provided to separate school supporters.

In 1992 the Legal Issues Account supported the "Bakker case" which provided an important clarification about who could stand for election as a trustee. Prospective candidates cannot merely "jump" from one system to another.

In 1992 the Association initiated the very popular Issues Sessions which focus on the work of trustees and senior executives from a leadership perspective. The idea has evolved, from the Issues Sessions, that we have a lot to learn from each other and we can be our own best mentors.

Also in 1992 we began regular visits by the President and the Executive Director with our member boards in their own home town.

In February, 1994, Alberta's Court of Queen's Bench handed down a decision in the Jacobi case. The decision, which was not appealed, declared that separate school districts might be organized for spurious reasons and in such a case the Minister was not obliged to sign an establishment order.

Between 1993 and 1998 the Association was challenged to respond to the Government's restructuring of education, including the reduction in funding, the withdrawal of support for Early Childhood Services, and the limitations on local autonomy represented by the Funding Framework and other prescriptions.

In the spring of 1994 the Association launched the most wide-ranging defense of local government and reasonable local autonomy that has ever been put to the courts. The case is currently being prepared for appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. It will come to be known as one of the three or four most important constitutional cases since 1867.

Since 1998 the Association has focused on leadership development of trustees, the political connection between trustees and their community, and developing the vision of public school education and being the advocate of that vision. In support of this, the Association is gathering information, and helping boards make better use of information.

Leading Local Learning Communities may be the one overview of public education that is most widespread in general circulation today. Our perspective on public/separate board relations is innovative, complete, and positive. In the spring of 1998 we inaugurated Ready! Set! Run! (why and how to run; how to influence and assess candidates), and in the fall of the year we inaugurated PSBAA 'U' (leadership for public school trustees).

The Executive Committee is guided by a charter that provides a clear statement of what we mean by public school education, why it is valuable, and why we are its advocates. And we are forthright advocates for public school education, to the Minister and all M.L.A.s, to the department, to the media, to the public, and to our frontline partner organizations.

The Association has 33 members today and these members educate most of the public school students in the province. From the beginning we have never shied away from representing public school education for non-members as well as for members.

We are proud of what we do, confident about why we do our work, and honoured to represent our members.