Thread by @Shel_ab

The continued #ableg cuts to education are not impacting all #abed students equally. I’m popping back on Twitter to speak to what I've seen happening. I'm writing this thread as a parent and past Trustee. I'm writing it to share what I learned and what I wish I did differently.🧵

Before I start, the language in budgets of “students who need specialized supports” includes students with disabilities, refugee students, and english language learners. But I want to name that the main conversation I'm having here is regarding students with disabilities.

Here’s the basics.

The Alberta government provides funds to school boards based on a set of formulas. They publish these formulas publicly:
open.alberta.ca/dataset/8f3b49…

Part of these formulas include grants to school boards for students who need specialized supports. Boards must spend these grants on these needs, but they often exceed these amounts and have the authority to direct as much money as they wish towards these supports.

When the board of Edmonton Public Schools passes a budget, funds are allocated to schools based on a set of formulas. #EPSB uses site-based decision making, which means that principals get the money allocated from this formula to make hiring decisions.

The formulas EPSB uses to allocate money to schools are less visible. In my last year as a Trustee, I asked that these formulas be published as part of our discussion on the budget Distribution of Funds. Attachment VII of this link: epsb.ca/media/epsb/our…

Here's a screenshot. Essentially, a student with the most profound need for specialized supports was allocated 5.719 times more money than the basic per student allocation. In 2020-2021 this was $29,715.

The problem is that $29,715 likely does not cover the costs of the specialized supports that these students need. For instance, it is likely that a student with profound needs would require the support of a 1:1 EA. Yet the cost for an EA is almost double that.

The money is not attached to particular students. Instead, principals get a lump sum of money based on the formula above for weighted enrolment (based on the makeup of the students) in the school. They then use it in whatever way they decide is best for their school.

It means that principals can and do provide 1:1 EA support and other specialized supports as needed, but because the $29,715 isn’t enough, they are essentially pulling money from the general pot when they make these decisions.

That might be at least equitable if the number of students with needs for specialized supports were spread equally between schools. But that is not often the case. In my opinion, this means there are some schools which chronically need more money than they are allocated.

In EPSB, there is a slush fund of money which these schools can access, called the equity fund. Principals apply to central administration to access these funds. It can solve emergent problems, but it doesn’t address the systemic inequity baked into these formulas (in my opinion)

What would happen if the formula targeted funding by the costs of EAs? My colleague asked this question at a budget meeting in my last term, and the answer was put in writing into this report: epsb.ca/media/epsb/our…

The answer is that if the formula allotted every student with profound needs enough for an EA and every student with severe needs enough for three-quarters of the costs of an EA, then EPSB would spend 20% of all funds directed to schools on these students alone.

This is over-simplified because not all students need the same supports. But it's still shocking. TWENTY PERCENT of all funds for all schools to fund this way. And this is old information. Since then, the #abed budget has been cut more (frozen funding with more students).

It is incredibly clear that public education is grossly underfunded. School boards and principals should not have to be weighing large class sizes against EA supports. Because that’s the decision in a nutshell. Either increasing class sizes or decreasing EAs.

We’re living through a time of provincial cuts to an education system that was already chronically underfunded. I fear that advocates like @holdmyhandab are correct, the budgets are balanced by cutting supports for students with disabilities.

These students need and deserve proper funding to access supports. Advocacy can and should be directed at the provincial government. It is well past time for voters to demand that our government fund the needs of all students.

Advocacy also can and should be directed at school boards like EPSB. I believe that the funding formula used by EPSB (weighted enrolment) should be more equitable. For me, this means increased weightings for students with moderate, severe and profound needs.

As a Trustee, I wish that I had understood this sooner.

As a parent, I’m asking EPSB to re-examine the weighted enrolment funding. It might mean my children are in larger classes as a result. But that doesn’t mean my children won’t benefit. Because we all benefit from a system that treats students equitably.