Public School Boards' Association of Alberta
Encyclopedia
The Public School Boards' Association of Alberta (PSBAA) is a not-for-profit society, the members of which are school jurisdictions (mostly public school jurisdictions) in Alberta, Canada. The membership criteria for the Association require a school jurisdiction, providing either public education
or separate school education
, to affirm two characteristics of public education: that it is inclusive as a matter of conviction and by design; and, that it is a deliberate model of a community and, by choice, primarily a model of a civil democratic community.
For the PSBAA, "inclusiveness" means that the school jurisdiction is inclusive of every child -- in the classroom, on the school grounds, etc. -- and also inclusive of all in the government of the jurisdiction. (That is, all citizens have a legal right and a moral responsibility to be involved in the government of the jurisdiction.)
Thirty-one of forty-one public school jurisdictions in Alberta belong to the Association (January, 2010): one (St. Albert Protestant Separate School District) of seventeen separate school jurisdictions in the province belong to the Association.
These jurisdictions are:
The main activities of the Association are: advocacy for public school education; leadership development programs for school trustees, system administrators, school-based leaders, and citizen advocates for public school education; building and maintaining political relations with the provincial government and the provincial public service; and, research and the dissemination of findings significant to the improvement of public education.
The Association is host of the Public School Boards Council, a representative assembly for school jurisdictions in Alberta, at which assembly the jurisdictions speak about issues of concern to public school education, and do so without relying on the intermediary of a separate corporate entity.
The first President (1989 - 1991) was Mr. Dick Mather
, a trustee of the Edmonton Public School District. Subsequently, the Presidents have been: Mr. Gordon Pearcy of Grande Prairie Public School District (1991 - '92); Ms. Deb Poffenroth, of Foothills School Division (1992 - '94); Ms. Anita Dent, of Peace River School Division (1994 - '96); Mr. Dick Chamney, of Buffalo Trail School Division (1996 - '97); Mr. Clyde Blackburn, of Grande Prairie Public School District (1997 - '99); Mr. Don Fleming, of Edmonton Public School District (1999 ' 2000); Ms. Carolyn Kaiser, of Foothills School Division (2000 - '01); Ms. Joan Trettler, of St. Albert Protestant Separate School District (2001 - '05); Mr. Don Fleming, of Edmonton Public School District (2005 - '09); and Ms. Patty Dittrick, of Clearview School Division (2009 - the present).
Public education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
or separate school education
Separate school
In Canada, separate school refers to a particular type of school that has constitutional status in three provinces and statutory status in three territories...
, to affirm two characteristics of public education: that it is inclusive as a matter of conviction and by design; and, that it is a deliberate model of a community and, by choice, primarily a model of a civil democratic community.
For the PSBAA, "inclusiveness" means that the school jurisdiction is inclusive of every child -- in the classroom, on the school grounds, etc. -- and also inclusive of all in the government of the jurisdiction. (That is, all citizens have a legal right and a moral responsibility to be involved in the government of the jurisdiction.)
Thirty-one of forty-one public school jurisdictions in Alberta belong to the Association (January, 2010): one (St. Albert Protestant Separate School District) of seventeen separate school jurisdictions in the province belong to the Association.
These jurisdictions are:
- Aspen View Regional Division
- Battle River School Division
- Black Gold Regional Division
- Buffalo Trail Regional Division
- Canadian Rockies Public Schools
- Chinook’s Edge School Division
- Clearview School Division
- Edmonton Public Schools
- Foothills School Division
- Fort McMurray School District
- Golden Hills School Division
- Grande Prairie School District
- Grande Yellowhead Public School Division
- Grasslands Regional Division
- High Prairie School Division
- Medicine Hat School District
- Northern Gateway Regional Division
- Northlands School Division
- Northern Lights School Division
- Palliser Regional Division
- Parkland School Division
- Peace River School Division
- Peace Wapiti Regional Division
- Pembina Hills Regional Division
- Prairie Land Regional Division
- Prairie Rose Regional Division
- Red Deer Public School District
- Rocky view School Division
- St. Albert Protestant Separate School District (St. Albert’s ‘de facto’ public school jurisdiction)
- Sturgeon School Division
- Wetaskiwin Regional Division
- Wildrose School Division
- Wolf Creek School Division
The main activities of the Association are: advocacy for public school education; leadership development programs for school trustees, system administrators, school-based leaders, and citizen advocates for public school education; building and maintaining political relations with the provincial government and the provincial public service; and, research and the dissemination of findings significant to the improvement of public education.
The Association is host of the Public School Boards Council, a representative assembly for school jurisdictions in Alberta, at which assembly the jurisdictions speak about issues of concern to public school education, and do so without relying on the intermediary of a separate corporate entity.
History
The Public School Boards' Association of Alberta was founded in 1989, at a convention held in Edmonton, Alberta.The first President (1989 - 1991) was Mr. Dick Mather
Dick Mather
Richard "Dick" Mather was a municipal politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of Edmonton city council from 1995 until his death in 1997. He also served as a public school trustee from 1983 to 1995....
, a trustee of the Edmonton Public School District. Subsequently, the Presidents have been: Mr. Gordon Pearcy of Grande Prairie Public School District (1991 - '92); Ms. Deb Poffenroth, of Foothills School Division (1992 - '94); Ms. Anita Dent, of Peace River School Division (1994 - '96); Mr. Dick Chamney, of Buffalo Trail School Division (1996 - '97); Mr. Clyde Blackburn, of Grande Prairie Public School District (1997 - '99); Mr. Don Fleming, of Edmonton Public School District (1999 ' 2000); Ms. Carolyn Kaiser, of Foothills School Division (2000 - '01); Ms. Joan Trettler, of St. Albert Protestant Separate School District (2001 - '05); Mr. Don Fleming, of Edmonton Public School District (2005 - '09); and Ms. Patty Dittrick, of Clearview School Division (2009 - the present).