Hundreds gathered at the Alberta Legislature on Nov. 30 to rally for the future of distance learning in the province, including about 40 from Pembina Hills.
After funding for school board use of distance learning materials was significantly cut in Budget 2013, ADLC staff members organized the Get on the Bus rally, which invited teachers across the province to defend distance education.
The message of the rally was simple: without proper distance education funding, the quality of education in Alberta will suffer.
Signs filled the crowd, reading messages like, “Restore Distance Education Funding,” and “Distance Education Bridges the Gaps.”
Braving the cold and the rain, the large group of concerned educators, parents and students listened to speakers including Frank McCallum, ATA Local No. 22 president and associate principal of the Vista Virtual School.
McCallum said last year, Alberta had just over 600,000 students. ADLC had registrations of almost 60,000. That means ADLC serviced, in some form, almost 10 per cent of the students in the province.
ADLC is the infrastructure for distance learning, McCallum told the cheering crowd. Good public service costs money, and good education costs money. These, he said, are unavoidable truths.
“We’re not trying to find the cheapest and easiest solution,” said McCallum. “We need solutions that are going to work for students.”
Stacy Harper, chair of the campaign and a teacher at ADLC, also spoke to the group.
“Why are we here?” She asked the crowd. “We’re here for the kids. For the students.”
Harper said she and everyone standing outside the Legislature Saturday were here for every person using distance education. For the students who wanted more options than their school could give, who need to work full time to support their families.
For the teen moms and dads who need to care for their child during the day, but want to pursue a high school diploma by night. The crowd rallied for the adult who want a high school diploma and who needs flexibility to achieve it.
“To the 60,000 students who take ADLC courses in over 280 subjects, we are here for you. We are standing on the steps of the Legislature today for you,” cheered Harper. “We want publicly funded distance education. We want our students provincially to have a level playing field.”
Although many were unable to attend due to bad road conditions, McCallum estimated about 250 people were still able attend. This was a number he said he was happy with.
The important thing is that the message was heard, added McCallum.
“We had the opportunity to present the counter argument to financial comments, because really that’s what this is about. It’s a financial matter,” said McCallum. “We’ve given people an option of how they can take action.”
McCallum said the next step will soon be in the works. If action ended at the rally, he said, this will have been meaningless.
“The idea is to build the energy off of the rally, and to continue political action,” said McCallum.
The big thing for people to know, said McCallum, is this remains an opportunity for political action. It’s a chance to make a difference, and anyone can do so by writing to their MLA.
ADLC teacher Sue Rees said given the weather, she thought the turnout was great. Each person who braved the freezing rain and icy roads to get to the rally did it for the students who use and rely on distance education.
“There are hundreds of students who take courses that are from Pembina Hills alone,” said Rees, who hopes the government heard the message loud and clear. “We want a first-class distance education system for our students that is fair for everybody.”
