Education critic hosts open house in city
By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on September 10, 2022.
Herald photo
NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman hosted an open house at the Galt.Sarah Hoffman, opposition deputy leader and education critic, hosted an open house to answer questions from concerned parents and teachers at the Galt Museum on Thursday night.
Lethbridge School Division board chair Allison Purcell was in attendance as a member of the public but fielded a question from Lethbridge-West MLA Shannon Phillips about how the government could go about addressing the province’s new curriculum.
“I think it’s about opportunity and letting them know their voice is important,” said Purcell.
“When I ran I very much ran on the fact that it doesn’t matter who you are, you have a factor, you have input in the education system that’s important to you. So seniors would say to me, it doesn’t really matter, I don’t have kids in the system, our grand kids have all grown and I’d say you know what, it is important. You’ve gone through the system; you’ve seen who do you want out there helping you when you’re in your seniors home and you need care. It is important that every voice is valued. When I hear from parents that my kids are all done and in university now – you’ve just went through the system. What do you wish your kids had learned? So it’s really about making it that this engagement is for everybody, not just for parents who have kids.”
Hoffman addressed a question from Purcell earlier in the open house for those students on Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped and where government is at in addressing it.
“When we were in government we actually brought in a bill to make sure that with inflation, it went up, same with the seniors benefits,” said Hoffman. “That (was) if inflation was a reality. We know it is, we’re seeing the worst inflation in Alberta in 40 years, that there would be more added to your AISH payment to make sure that you weren’t in the end having less. Because of course we know that a lot of our groceries are costing more than they did a couple of years ago – so some of those basics. Some of those books are costing more than they were a few years ago too. So we think that it’s only fair for people, when that’s your primary income – AISH, seniors benefits, those type of thing – that it be indexed.”
A CUPE worker speaking from the floor pointed out during the open house that educational assistants have had their hours cut.
“So normally where their hours would start just 10-15 minutes before the kids arrive, they’re not starting a half hour after the kids arrive. Part of the problem is you might not end up seeing any impact because these EAs feel bad that their kids are arriving and they’re not there. So they just show up for work and work for free and their hours are cut so that they go home a half an hour before their kids go home. The teachers are being forced to say ‘well here you don’t have an EA for the last half hour of class, you’re on your own’.”
She stated we have less EAs in general in all the school divisions in Lethbridge.
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Perhaps a CUPE person, or Ms. Hoffman would acknowledge and appreciate the fact that many “educational assistants” are Volunteers (unpaid), who give many hours to assist teachers in the School System.
Wow Philips looks like Satan!