In an effort to further understand the move, I reached out to a few organizations & stumbled upon the Alberta Speech Language Association of Private Practitioners. So we had Simone Rambaransingh on & she had some very insightful comments about what this could mean. #ABleg
Despite them being "private practitioners", she voiced some concerns about what's potentially on the table here. Rambaransingh also admitted they have seen an uptick in the number of parents reaching out, knowing they won't have their usual supports in the new school year. #ABleg
Her biggest concern was for those who can't afford private SLPs. Those kids are bound to fall through the cracks, not just in their speech, but in their social skills & self-image. They're being put at risk of being bullied, etc. for lisps or whatever the case may be. #ABleg
Meanwhile, the government will contend that education funding is being "held." That's all well & good, but the province continues to see growth & more kids. If you've made supper for your family of four & another couple pops by, how will the food be divvied up? #ABleg
That is essentially what school boards are facing right now. They're making some pretty difficult decisions about kids' education. In a province where people scream about not saddling "the future" with debt, we seem bent on saddling them with an educational deficit. #ABleg
We need to figure out what we're doing in education & fast. We need to work together on this because this is the future that we're talking about. And if we're nipping & tucking just to make the fiscal books look good, it's going to hinder our status as leaders in so many ways.
