A voice at the provincial level

Once or twice a year, school boards across Alberta have a chance to meet together in assembly to discuss and bring forward resolutions to the Alberta government on matters pertaining to the education of our students.

Our local Board of Trustees and administration is heading out to two separate conferences today. The first is the Annual General Meeting of the Alberta Catholic School Trustees Association (ACSTA), followed by the Fall General Meeting of the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) on Sunday evening until Tuesday.

St. Paul Education is a member of ACSTA in support of the Catholic students within our division. We also have a director from each member board that meets four times a year at ACSTA directors' meetings. I have been honoured to serve as our Board's director since 2014. The Fall General Meeting gives Trustees a chance to deepen their faith and conduct business pertaining to the Association. You can learn more about ACSTA and this year's AGM at their website, www.acsta.ab.ca.

On Sunday, we start all over again with the ASBA Fall General Meeting. Some committee members may have separate meetings Sunday afternoon, but we all join together in the evening for the opening ceremonies and the celebration of teacher excellence with the Edwin Parr Awards. These awards recognize first year teachers who have made a positive impact on their students. It is truly inspiring to hear from these passionate educators who are dedicated to students.

On Monday, all 400+ trustees from 61 boards from across Alberta join again for a full day of business meetings. The event is webcast through the ASBA website. You can also view the proposed policy positions that we will be voting on at: www.asba.ab.ca.

These associations are the voice of a collective and our voice at the provincial level. It is important that boards meet to discuss the issues they have in common and lobby the government. Each board is unique and advocates for their own students, but as associations, we can accomplish major change across the province. An example is the weighting of provincial diploma exams. Two years ago, at a Fall General Meeting, trustees at the ASBA voted in favour of changing the weighting from 50 per cent to 30 per cent. The government subsequently reduced the weighting to 30 per cent after further consultation with parents, teachers and students.

Change can happen when we join together in support of our students.