tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post5127820937649600080..comments2023-11-02T06:37:23.839-06:00Comments on daveberta.ca: dave hancock sends trustees to the principal's office.davebertahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06822739409684978316noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-36255416438991064012009-11-26T21:40:29.635-07:002009-11-26T21:40:29.635-07:00I am fascinated by the contrast between Mr. Hancoc...I am fascinated by the contrast between Mr. Hancock's statement:<br /><br />"I truly value and appreciate advocacy. I certainly appreciate Albertans engaging in a discussion about education, its value to our community and society, and our current issues and concerns." <br /><br />and his response to a group of stakeholders actually engaging in a public advocacy program. Whether or not you agree with the Stop the Cuts campaign, it is certainly a valid point of view of a central public policy issue. While I don't envy the minister his position within the Cabinet on this issue I am disappointed by his reaction.Alexander Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00384432421245507388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-39806722155967703892009-11-26T15:14:05.880-07:002009-11-26T15:14:05.880-07:00Dave Hancock is one one of the worst moral relativ...Dave Hancock is one one of the worst moral relativists and bullies in the whole bunch. He will argue that black is white if it suits his hyper-partisan postion. Hancock is inadvertently teaching us a valuable lesson - redouble the campaign!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-24035576695831016532009-11-26T13:46:56.716-07:002009-11-26T13:46:56.716-07:00I would love to know who "Anonymous" is....I would love to know who "Anonymous" is... so bravely demanding cuts to education, but not brave enough to sign their name. Hmmm...<br /><br />Thanks for the discussion, Dave. Yes, we were scolded. No doubt about it, but I think we feel our job is to advocate and defend education, first and foremost so we took the "time in the office" with grace. Cutting the education budget- as has been suggested will happen- while at the same time expecting continuous academic improvement and maintained services for a diverse population (including children with special needs and a growing population of students with little or no English) is "problematic", to use political speak. <br /><br />We can collaborate better- no question. We can streamline. We can look for efficiences. But at the end of the day, it costs money, cold hard cash, to put teachers in front of children. Education is an investment and we undermine it at our peril. And, hey "Anonymous"---let's meet for lunch sometime! I'd love to chat.Sue Huffhttp://suefortrustee.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-83907687542353828042009-11-26T12:53:47.610-07:002009-11-26T12:53:47.610-07:00The most viable option is to make deep cuts to hea...The most viable option is to make deep cuts to health and education. Budget has doubled over the last ten years and we need these cuts now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-14844989387716298002009-11-26T10:22:22.114-07:002009-11-26T10:22:22.114-07:00Our most viable option to wean ourselves off of oi...Our most viable option to wean ourselves off of oil and gas revenues is to build a financial reserve and then use the interest to fund the budget. The higher the reserve the greater the interest earned. Generally, interest rates don't fluctuate nearly as much as oil and gas rates so it would create a relatively stable income and therefore easier to project. A fund of between 40B to 50B would be a good start<br /><br />This could be easily achieved in 20 years. The only problem is savings would have to be a priority during times when savings are rarely a priority - boom times. I don't know about you but I don't remember a lot of people demanding the government save more and spend less the last time we were booming.Darrennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-49038078262467315552009-11-26T09:59:38.776-07:002009-11-26T09:59:38.776-07:00After years of record-breaking surpluses and unhea...After years of record-breaking surpluses and unheard of wealth, why is Alberta still dependent on cyclically-priced natural resource commodities?<br /><br />That's the real debate that needs to take place and it shouldn't be limited to cabinet...<br /><br />Using the Inspiring Education dialogue as a jumping off point, perhaps we need to look at where we want our province to be in 20 years?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-78486381124772726542009-11-26T00:00:37.273-07:002009-11-26T00:00:37.273-07:00Is there a province that is not dependent on natur...Is there a province that is not dependent on natural resource commodities? (Ontario I guess) Do you think that this is isolated to Alberta?Chucknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-68315336956694232722009-11-25T20:30:06.789-07:002009-11-25T20:30:06.789-07:00All you have to do is find the latest spending est...All you have to do is find the latest spending estimates by ministry and you'll see why anytime there's an economic downturn the government starts talking about cuts to health and education - they're two of perhaps three ministries that can weather a multi-billion cut. A five per cent cut to the health and education budget would likely wipe out seven or eight other ministries in total. You might get some leeway by gutting social services, agriculture and perhaps infrastructure but nothing substantial.<br /><br />As for why we still dependent on natural resource commodities, please provide other sectors that can generate the kind of revenues oil and gas does without requiring some greater government spending input to sustain it. And perhaps the next time we're in an economic boom, we won't see the throngs of interest groups call for increased spending in their respective areas, rather they'll call for the government to save the revenues and build a reserve so we can wean ourselves off oil and gas. I'll wait to see that but I won't hold my breath.Darrennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-17992095676101325912009-11-25T16:50:49.601-07:002009-11-25T16:50:49.601-07:00//Has anyone compared the average years of educati...//Has anyone compared the average years of education of the PC caucus to the NDP and Liberal caucuses? It is hard to expect those who have "succeeded" without much formal education to value formal education.//<br /><br />I've always loved the ability of many on the left to call for more policies to help the poor and yet manage to spit in their face at the same time. <br /><br />"You don't have an Masters in Womens Studies or Philosophy? Well, not everyone can be perfect."Brandon Jnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-64738304377760006002009-11-25T15:43:54.682-07:002009-11-25T15:43:54.682-07:00Making cuts to education, and healthcare, which th...Making cuts to education, and healthcare, which this government does every time there's any sort of economic downturn is at best, short-sighted. <br /><br />After cuts made in the 90s, it took years to rebuild these systems. In healthcare in particular, the province ended up short on front line staff, including nurses, and had to spend a great deal of money trying to lure nurses to Alberta to fill in the gaps. Now they've announced a hiring freeze and cuts to staffing, and many qualified healthcare professionals are going to end up leaving the province, including new graduates. In a few years is the government going to have to go through the same thing again and spend money on luring healthcare professionals back to Alberta through bonuses and other incentives?<br /><br />It's easy to see the same thing can end up happening in the education system. Cuts are going to ultimately lead to cuts to staffing, including teachers and teaching assistants in the classroom. So what's going to happen to new graduates from teaching programs and new teachers who will ultimately be the ones who can't find work? They will either go into other industries, or they'll take available positions in other provinces or internationally. Then in a few years when it's estimated that a large number of current teachers will be retiring, the province may not have enough people to fill the positions.<br /><br />On a personal leve, I'm going to be finishing an education program in 2011. If I don't find a position in Alberta, I'm still going to have thousands of dollars in student loans to pay off. If taking a job in another province or internationally is what I need to do to pay off my loans, and to actually earn an income, then that's what I'll do, and likely what many other students that will be graduating along with me will do. If that's what happens though, that means the province has invested tens of thousands of dollars in my education, from my 12 years in primary and secondary school here, and then six years of post-secondary, and they will ultimately be getting nothing in return for it.Dennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03504852115380593351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-65811477439113067332009-11-25T15:06:16.136-07:002009-11-25T15:06:16.136-07:00Contrary to what some people here are saying I don...Contrary to what some people here are saying I don't believe in any cuts to anything. This government has dropped the ball on fiscal management and needs to be held accountable for that. How much money have they squandered since the end of King Ralph (and before that...)? I am entirely disgusted.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-7475835697238316422009-11-25T14:37:06.463-07:002009-11-25T14:37:06.463-07:00What the PCs fail to understand is that the cuts n...What the PCs fail to understand is that the cuts need to happen inside their ministries. The funding delivered out to the production units (hospitals, schools, etc) hasn't grown nearly as much as the bloated ministries themselves have.<br /><br />Mr Hancock has a ridiculous number of staff throughout Edmonton, many of whom add little to no value to the end users of the system, and this is true across all other ministries.<br /><br />Does every Minister need a Parliamentary Secretary in a time of penny pinching? Does every Deputy Minister need 3+ Assistant Deputy Ministers beneath them? All of these roles add a tremendous cost, as each of these folks is entitled to a large office with a cadre of staff to support them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-50435902408440817252009-11-25T14:09:35.600-07:002009-11-25T14:09:35.600-07:00I need to copyright the phrase "tough economi...I need to copyright the phrase "tough economic times."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-13197207829446945212009-11-25T12:57:58.183-07:002009-11-25T12:57:58.183-07:00They should have mentioned that we need more cuts ...They should have mentioned that we need more cuts to education.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-7674523581689809492009-11-25T12:38:15.366-07:002009-11-25T12:38:15.366-07:00Berry Farmer,
The poster who talked about centrist...Berry Farmer,<br />The poster who talked about centrist heros [sic] didn't say anything about cuts to education. What are you talking about? <br /><br />But you are certainly right that mentioning spelling mistakes in a forum like this is petty. Well done. Excellent use of Wikipedia. And it certainly is conceivable that a hyphen is proper.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-75436297606878724632009-11-25T11:18:50.870-07:002009-11-25T11:18:50.870-07:00There have been no cuts. We need them NOW!There have been no cuts. We need them NOW!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-13711614836835256362009-11-25T09:37:21.830-07:002009-11-25T09:37:21.830-07:00Has anything actually been cut yet?Has anything actually been cut yet?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-24402340231953394222009-11-25T09:10:12.340-07:002009-11-25T09:10:12.340-07:00The word 'heroes' in "centrist-heros&...The word 'heroes' in "centrist-heros" should have an 'e' unless one is writing in Latin or Ancient Greek. Oh, nor should it have a hyphen... but let's not quibble about spelling and punctuation. <br /><br />I know that's a wee bit infantile, but I can't resist... not when people who call for less support for education make their arguments with simplistic mistakes in expression...<br /><br />... and this from a FARMER.Berry Farmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03447299342398591508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-41445013131424264292009-11-25T09:07:58.604-07:002009-11-25T09:07:58.604-07:00Dave, on a day when Al Gore calls the Oilsands a t...Dave, on a day when Al Gore calls the Oilsands a threatens the survival of humanity, and when this NIMBY group hosts an event at Rexall Place and expects 7000 people, but only gets 2400 (despite the media inflating it to 3100) this is the story you decide to write on?<br /><br />I'm curious to know your response to Mr. Gore...for if he gets what he is after then it won't just be education getting erased in this province, it'll be our entire economy.Jeff J.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-33842644513718758782009-11-25T08:54:48.256-07:002009-11-25T08:54:48.256-07:00Oh and to Lou Arab, Bill 44 was a progressive step...Oh and to Lou Arab, Bill 44 was a progressive step forward for our children.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-26435254526604985872009-11-25T08:53:55.101-07:002009-11-25T08:53:55.101-07:00More like Albertans should be asking how many of t...More like Albertans should be asking how many of the PC MLA's are standing up for deeper budget cuts to get us out od deficit immediately.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-3274929585429131632009-11-25T08:10:31.362-07:002009-11-25T08:10:31.362-07:00Deluded centrists who propogate this post-partisan...Deluded centrists who propogate this post-partisan nonsense love to ignore the fundamentals, and prefer to focus instead on their centrist-heros, who, if only they could free their hands and use their super-powers, all will be solved. <br /><br />I read a post in the "moment of the decade" section below that dreamed of a Dinning-Dave Taylor matchup...why, so the only real difference would be their haircut?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-25142100665691761492009-11-25T06:57:37.875-07:002009-11-25T06:57:37.875-07:00At what point do we stop giving Hancock the benefi...At what point do we stop giving Hancock the benefit of the doubt?<br /><br />Almost all commentary about the guy focuses on his supposed progressive credentials and assumes that he fights hard in cabinet for things like education. This post continues that myth by assuming the problem is that Hancock doesn't have the influence he needs.<br /><br />But all I ever see from Hancock is patronizing, lecturing, and even bullying toward anyone who opposes his government. The examples in this post and his defense of Bill 44 come to mind. I don't think he deserves the slightest benefit of the doubt given his record.<br /><br />I will say this though - whatever the reason, the end result is the same. Dave Hancock has not produced anything progressive in his time as Education minister.Lou Arabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03423074252316716818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-15320700154369584182009-11-25T02:15:16.712-07:002009-11-25T02:15:16.712-07:00There are 2 issues "dave" 1. The robust ...There are 2 issues "dave" 1. The robust value discussion on the value received for dollars and what should and shouldn't be done in education and 2. the economic reality, pre budget discussion this year. Trustees, parents and the classroom teacher are always having the discussion on number one and do so annnually when they get too few dollars for too many stakeholder requests or expectations. Just because the Ministry has finally agreed to enter the conversation does not mean leadership has not been shown by school systems. What a slap in the face of trustees and the ongoing work throughout a system. The Minister is meeting with boards tomorrow and to prejudge that the majority are not going to engage in a discussion or have not provided board suggestions is shameful. The leadership of ASBA, ATA and ASCA have never refused to have a respectful discussion.On number two; The fear tactics started in the summer when senior admin and boards were told get ready and numbers were thrown out by ministry employees. Reality is the kind of figures used then "$200- 300 million" cannot be obtained in pre budget tinkering but only when there is the political guts to dramatically change the system. And the kind of systematic change needed is not going to be done in this budget cycle. Would an " education is an investment" campaign really have caused discussion and hence attention by the Minister and his colleagues? The "stop the cuts" campaign has been the door opener to conversations Stemach's "unleash innovation and lead in learning" sounds like " education equals economy" to me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-34472673319356855252009-11-25T00:02:23.826-07:002009-11-25T00:02:23.826-07:00Why is Alberta still dependant on cyclically price...Why is Alberta still dependant on cyclically priced natural resource commodities? Because people invariably stick with what they know and are comfortable with and so every time there is a spike in oil and/or gas prices investment moves to what it knows and loves rather than high risk unknown technology. If we want to move towards a better balance and less reliance on carbon energy we have to continue with the efforts recognized in the 20 year strategic plan when published and moved on much more significantly under Premier Stelmach's leadership to "unleash innovation and lead in learning". This is in fact the best opportunity we have had in years to move firmly in the direction of knowledge based commodities and services.<br /><br />I have no problem with the concept that most Albertans want us to continue to ensure that we have an education system that is among the best in the world and that many may therefore be motivated to write in response to a "stop the cuts" campaign. I also believe advocacy and robust discussion of public policy issues is important for good decision making. My concern is not with the participants but rather with the organizations - the ATA and the ASBA - who were invited to participate in a data driven value based discussion about how we can do better with the resources we have in a difficult fiscal time in the most robust pre-budget discussion we have ever had and responded with movement to an extreme version of the future rather than stepping up to the challenge. Quality is not about the amount of money and it is certainly not always about more money. Real leadership is in using the resources you have in the most effective way possible to achieve the desired results. Leadership must come not just from the Minister of Education but from all leaders in the system.Dave Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03841701272889669725noreply@blogger.com