The petition to defund independent schools failed. Alberta parents sent a clear message: don’t touch our schools

Parents across Alberta are breathing a sigh of relief. The citizen initiative petition asking whether Alberta should defund independent schools failed. It finished more than 50,000 signatures short of the required number, so it will not move forward to a referendum.

Why did this petition fail?

Simply put, parents want educational options for their children. Many already have children enrolled in varied school environments, and regardless of their current school, parents want to know that there are alternatives if and when their child needs them.

Cardus recently undertook a polling project, asking Albertans’ thoughts about education.

Forty-five per cent of families currently use some type of educational option, whether that’s a French, Catholic or alternative public school, an independent or charter school, or home education.

Failed petition signals that educational choice still matters in Alberta.Getty Images

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This is important because defunding independent schools would never have been the endgame: petition organizers admitted that homeschooled........

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