A Fair Trade-off?
Apr 6th, 2007 by Annette
Government Funds Come with Strings (Alberta, Canada)
**snip*
“In Alberta, Canada home schoolers enjoyed more liberty than almost all of the other provinces. Then several years ago, legislation was passed giving home schoolers $500 per child in government funds. The very next year, one of the most regulatory legislative bills was passed, implementing restrictions on home schoolers. When asked why, the Minister of Education stated that if they were giving money to home schoolers they had to know who they are and have certain standards. These regulations apply to all home schoolers-not only those who receive the government funding.” (end of snip–see link above)
Interesting read that I think is connected to this situation in Alberta, Canada, over at HEM News & Commentary from Valerie Moon, posted August 25th, 2006. Note the quotation marks around “improved”. :
[…] The perceptions that homeschoolers are: “pulling money down” for homeschooling are semi-dropouts left behind At-risk desire state standards and accountability willing to trade-off homeschool freedoms for government funds […]
Homeschooling in Alberta means that you have to follow the same standards that other students in standard schools have to follow. In a few of the other provinces, there is very little funding, if non at all and there are fewer standards and supports that parents can utilize. Alberta is the best place to home educate children because of the funding alotted to the students and the standards that are expected to be achieved and these achievements are being closely monitored. Accountability is definitely being emphasized. In the school boards that I have been associated with, students who are being home educated are scoring higher in provincial achievement exams than that of the provincial average. The resources that parents are able to access makes the children’s success at home and socially in the community a more holistic approach to learning - this is definitely being done in Alberta. The very limited amount of supplimental funding the government provides to home ed student runs out quite quickly (ie/ music lessons, text books, educational memberships, field trips, equipment) parents end up spending money from their own pockeys to suppliment activities that students are participating in. Students in brick and mortar school receive funding up to about $10,000 for every student, but less than half of that is actually used direcly related to the students needs. That will drain the government spending quite quickly. Home ed parents are paying taxes for brick and mortar schools that they are not even associated with - does that make sense. There is even less money alotted to students who are home educated. Parents (for home ed students)are experiencing success in accessing supports for special needs with fewer gaps in the system than in the past. However, I think that the supports for special needs throughout Canada could always be improved whether you are in a brick and mortar school or homeschooling. You tell me exactly where there is a drain on the system because of home education - it is exactly the opposite, families who home educate are saving the government money, because they are not spending money maintaining schools or paying high teacher salaries.
Marlene,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I’m curious, you are in Alberta, Canada? Are you homeschooling your children?
It makes sense to me that home educators are paying taxes to brick and mortar schools, because so are the people with grown children, no children, and those with students in private schools. The system is where everyone contributes to a kettle and it is dispersed over how it was governmentally decided.
There is more I would like to discuss with you. Maybe you could stick around for a bit?
Thanks again for stopping by.
[…] The perceptions that homeschoolers are: “pulling money down” for homeschooling are semi-dropouts left behind At-risk desire state standards and accountability willing to trade-off homeschool freedoms for government funds […]