Dear Editor,
I have some concerns about the article by Doug Neuman titled End Public Funding to Private Schools that was posted a few weeks back. It seems that Neuman is not too sure about how this independent schooling system works and the benefits and blessings we have in it.
These benefits are not only for children and their taxpaying parents in the independent system but also for general taxpayers and the government. Our taxpaying parents pay 65 per cent of the cost out of their own pocket, on every child in this school. In the public system the parents pay 0 per cent of their child’s costs. If you do the math on this, the government only pays 35 per cent of the cost of my schooling. The average amount of a child schooling cost per year in Alberta is a little over $7000 a year (according to the most recent figures on the AISCA website). That means the government pays that for every student in the public system. In the private system our parents pay $4500 and the government pays $2500. The government saves $4500 per student and is able to use that money for roads and welfare and other government expenses.
This doesn’t only make sense financially, but also makes sense for the community. Our independent schools get people of all ages involved in the communities whether it’s selling cookies for a fundraiser, or maintenance around the school, or for the well being of others. However independent schooling also encourages us to be involved in the community doing things like shoveling snow for elderly people, or highway clean up. We are also encouraged to join things like 4H,various farming programs and other community organizations. I am not saying that the public school does not offer that to their students, I am simply saying students in the independent school system are active in their community.
The one thing that stands out in our independent school is that everyone one is involved, nobody is left out, and everybody knows everybody. I am blessed to be placed in an independent school and I would not ask for anything different. Keep the independent schools for the better of the community, the province, and taxpayer’s wallets.
Jos Bikker, Grade 12 Student at CCRS, Neerlandia
