Login / RegisterJordan Bateman: Private school growth deserves to be studied, not attacked, in B.C.
If the business across the street from yours, with fewer resources and higher prices, had increased its share of customers every year for 35 years, wouldn’t you be curious why?
Wouldn’t that interest intensify if your own customer base had shrunk in 24 of those 35 years? This is the situation B.C.’s schools find themselves in.
Enrollment at B.C. independent schools has increased every single year since 1977-78. Public schools have only recorded student increases in 11 of those 35 years—all from 1987-88 through 1997-98.
Even during that boom decade for public schools, the public system’s growth still badly trailed the independent system: private schools went up 71 percent, while public school enrolment increased 27 percent.
Market share for independent schools has nearly tripled from 4.3 percent of all B.C. students in 1977-78 to 11.6 percent last year. This share has increased every year for 35 years; there is no reason to believe it will stop any time soon.
These are families who pay twice for their children’s education: once through the same school taxes we all pay, and then voluntarily with tuition fees. While some are wealthy, many are middle-class parents sacrificing and reprioritizing to put their children in these independent schools.
Independent schools receive 35 to 50 percent of the per-student provincial funding a public school gets, and no tax money for capital projects, property purchases, or equipment.
Independent schools are considered enemies by the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation, and, according to union president Susan Lambert, unworthy of representation in Victoria. “[The new position of parliamentary secretary for independent schools] sends chills up and down my spine. The most significant concerns that we have had with the policy directions of this ministry and this government is the privatization of public education,” she told the Tyee. “I am very concerned that the purpose of such a role would be to promote again the privatization of public education.”
How typical. Rather than looking at how and why so many families are being drawn to independent schools (especially their distance learning programs), Lambert suggests they don’t deserve political representation and trots out privatization like a boogeyman hiding under the bed.
Lambert is the same union leader who told a B.C. government budget committee last year that personal income taxes should be raised 25 percent to give her members $2.2 billion in improved wages and benefits—hardly money well spent for a system she claims is in crisis. And quite a raise: the total 2009-10 public school teacher payroll was $2.9 billion.
The BCTF complains that education funding has dropped as a percentage of the provincial budget but never mentions why: health care spending has exploded due mainly to an aging population. Makes sense, doesn’t it? If we have fewer students, it’s probably because we’re all getting older. If we get older, it means we need more health care. This is a demographic, not philosophical, shift in government spending.
Lambert’s bitter attacks on nearly 12 percent of B.C. students do nothing to advance the cause of education in this province.
When Edmonton, led by former B.C. education deputy minister Emery Dosdall, embraced competition with independent schools and refocused the public system on student achievement by allowing parents to send their kids to any school they wanted, Time magazine called the City of Champions, “the most imitated and admired public school system in North America.”
It’s time for B.C. education champions—the minister, the parliamentary secretaries, trustees, administrators, principals, teachers, and parents—to step back and take a positive, hard look at what is attracting B.C. families to independent schools.
Education’s “customers” are voting with their feet and their pocketbook, and we should learn why.
Jordan Bateman is the British Columbia director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
BBBBBoring at best. Annoying and misquided and skirts the real issues affecting public education and the lack of political will to adequately resource classrooms and teachers.
Could be that BC (or rather, Vancouver) has a higher concentration of wealthy people who see private school as preferable to public school, regardless of the actual merits? If private schools are truly better, what is making them better? Smaller class sizes, better teachers (via better paid teachers, something the author disparages), etc. etc.
Needs more data, corroboration.
If one looks at the Fraser institute survey, what accounts for the better results of the elite private schools is money and the educational level of parents. More money for schools. Jason, Mr. anti public anything, are you in favour of more money per student. As the head of York House once said, "if we didn't do better with a tuition of $15,000 per student, there would be something wrong.
Higher education. Well, higher educated parents tend to be more involved with their kids education, whether in private or public school. Jason, how do you duplicate that?
But there is another unspoken factor that leads to elite private schools getting better results. It's called no special needs or ESL kids. Jason, what say we put Special needs kids and ESL kids in segregated schools?
There, don't you feel better. You have an answer and no expensive study.
Could it be that enrollment in private school is increasing because public school funding is decreasing? As public school class sizes increase, those who can afford it go to private school instead.
I have kids in public school (grades 9 and 12) and they are in the French district, another public system where enrollment is increasing. Class sizes in Vancouver were too big for my kids to learn as well as they do in the smaller classes they are now in. My kids are bright and were totally bored because the teachers (who all did their absolute best) had to deal with other children with undiagnosed learning disorders. I think my daughter, who was assessed as gifted in grade one, was one of the last to get such assessment from the school because the waiting lists for assessment are so long that most parents get private assessment once it is clear things are going horribly wrong for them.
This article has a very hostile tone toward our valuable teachers, who have many years of education and are not making big salaries. The author does not understand any of the nuances in the statistics he is throwing around. Clearly he has another agenda than opening up a discussion about what we have to learn from private schools. Thankfully new research is showing that the students who do the best tend to have morals and ethics, which they can learn from their parents and from either public or private schools.
"Article observes trend, doesn't bother to examine causes of trend, draws blanket conclusion of 'private=better'."
That is the standard MO from the CTF, CFIB and Fraser Institute.
Bateman (and the others) repeatedly demonstrate an inability to conduct professional and objective financial analysis without partisan overtones.
Look at the qualifications of the staff and members of these organizations and you will see exactly what I am talking about.
Not a lot of economists, accountants, or statisticians to be found. You can sure find a lot of people who have lived their lives in the professional conservative/corporate welfare circuit, though.
FINALLY! Our nightmare of social cohesion is over, and the 1% can pull away for good.
No wait.. this is a terrible and stupid idea.
So you are saying your culture is one of insufferable snobbery, elitism, racism, and a complete lack of compassion for the disadvantaged?
What school taught you that?
West Vancouverite:
Way to live up to the stereotype of the residents of Mortgage Mountain. Sorry that the peons' offspring are holding your brats back.
allow me to clarify. the public school system has become an environment not conducive to learning because of politics and political correctness. consider the following:
1) labour strife of teachers
2) gang activity
3) exposure to drug using students
4) large class sizes
5) inadequate assistance for children with learning disabilities to give them the help they need
6) high numbers of ESL students
all of these factors work against a child receiving a quality education.
are the Khalsa School and Catholic schools a "culture [...] of insufferable snobbery, elitism, racism, and a complete lack of compassion for the disadvantaged" too?
is a stricter, zero tolerance policy for drugs and criminality a bad thing? now wonder this younger generation riots after hockey games. acceptance of the unacceptable and permissive attitudes towards drugs and crime have turned some youth into under-educated, self-entitled douchebags.
private schools in my opinion are far less prone to the above mentioned problems.
how is wanting my child to receive the best possible education free of distractions a bad thing? if the public school system cannot deal with these problems, then private schools will fill the void.
who are you to tell others how to raise their children?
I did not say a word about how anyone should raise their children.
It sounds as if you get your "information" about schools from the Province and Global "news".
I stand by every word I wrote.