I'm running for public school trustee and as such, if elected, would have no purview over any other school district or school choice than the Calgary Board of Education. In other words, Albertan parents will continue to have their choice of public, separate, charter, private, and homeschooling options, and as a CBE trustee, I would have nothing to say about it one way or another. Personally, philosophically, I'm really attached to the concept of public, community schools for the sake of furthering democracy and the common good; I support the idea that the healthiest societies emerge when we do NOT have a choice but to live, learn, and love alongside all of the people with whom we share space.
I do hear (from friends and family) however, about children and families who've been let down in significant ways by their public school system and in these cases, I understand the overwhelming desire to protect the mental or physical health of those children and families. Ideally, we will create an all-inclusive public school system so every kid thrives in their community school for the progress of our society (#loftygoals :)
I should also note that I believe that the CBE Board of Trustees must act as an advocate for appropriate funding for the students of the CBE, keeping pressure on the provincial government to adequately provide for a robust PUBLIC education system. I'm deeply concerned about the perception that the current government is intentionally underfunding the public schools to encourage parents to invest more money in their children's educations via private schooling, in an attempt to lower the amount of money spent on public schooling in the province. I believe this to be contradictory to the very project of a modern democratic society.