Why Alberta Should Keep Funding Private Education (Including Homeschooling)
- Jason
- 5 minutes ago
- 5 min read
December 26th, 2025
by: Jason LaFace
There’s a petition circulating in Alberta right now that’s being promoted largely by left-leaning networks, and its goal is straightforward: end public funding for private (independent) education. Supporters frame it as “protecting public education,” but the practical effect is to punish Alberta families who rely on independent schools, special‑needs schools, faith-based schools, alternative programs, and homeschooling supports—many of whom turned to these options only after the public system couldn’t meet their child’s needs.
As an Alberta conservative, I’m firmly in favor of continuing Alberta’s model of funding education choices. Not because public schools don’t matter—they do—but because families matter too. Education funding should follow students, not institutions, and Alberta’s strength has always been its willingness to respect parental choice.
My perspective: I needed private education to actually learn
I’m not speaking about this as an abstract policy debate. I’m speaking from experience.
I was one of those rare students with higher learning needs. I skipped two grades. In practice, that meant I didn’t need “more of the same”—I needed different: deeper material, faster pacing, and an environment that didn’t treat academic advancement as a problem to be managed. The public system, for all the good people in it, simply wasn’t built to handle that well.
The private education system was. It offered higher-level learning, better fit, and a learning culture that actually matched what I needed to succeed. If government funding had been removed or reduced, my parents would have faced a choice no family should have to make: pay twice (taxes plus full tuition) or accept an education that didn’t fit.
Funding independent education isn’t some “gift” to wealthy families—it’s a way for Alberta to serve real differences among students.
The core conservative point: choice and accountability improve outcomes
Conservatives believe in pluralism: people are different, communities are different, kids are different. That’s why a one-size-fits-all education bureaucracy is never going to serve everyone well.
Independent schools and homeschooling aren’t “anti-public.” They are part of Alberta’s broader education ecosystem and they create:
Options for families who want different pedagogy, structure, values, or pacing
Innovation and specialization, especially for students who don’t fit the standard model
Competition and accountability, which pressures all systems to improve
Cost efficiency, because Alberta’s independent schools typically receive less per-student funding than public schools while still educating Alberta kids
If a student is an Alberta student, that student deserves support—regardless of whether their best-fit classroom is in a public school, charter, independent school, or a homeschool program.
Private funding is especially critical for special needs and disabilities
One of the most overlooked realities in this debate is how many independent programs exist specifically because the mainstream system struggles to deliver highly individualized support.
Private/independent education supports can help students who need:
Specialized learning disability interventions (structured literacy, intensive remediation, smaller class environments)
Neurodiverse supports that aren’t consistently available in standard classrooms
Physical accessibility infrastructure and individualized accommodations
Therapeutic or behavior-support programming in a stable environment
Highly personalized pacing for both advanced learners and those who need extra time
Cutting funding doesn’t make these needs disappear. It just forces families into a system that may already be over-capacity, uneven in services, or slow to respond.
And if the public system truly is strained, the last thing Alberta should do is eliminate the parallel system that helps educate tens of thousands of students.
Homeschooling counts too—and it works for many families
Homeschooling is often ignored or misrepresented in these discussions, but it matters. In Alberta, many homeschool families receive support through supervised homeschool programs and private operators, and those supports are part of the broader “choice in education” framework.
Homeschooling often succeeds because it offers:
Customization to the child’s pace and interests
Safer learning environments for kids who struggle socially or behaviorally in large classrooms
A stronger focus on basics like reading, writing, and math
More parent involvement and transparency
The fact is: many homeschooling families are not ideological—they’re practical. They tried the default system and it didn’t work, so they did what responsible parents do: they adapted.
If a petition removes funding structures that support homeschooling, it harms some of Alberta’s most engaged, motivated families—and it harms the kids who are thriving under that model.
The bigger concern: activism replacing education
A growing number of Albertans are concerned that the education establishment—particularly the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), its union networks, and allied political organizations—has blurred the line between teaching and activism.
This is where the conversation becomes uncomfortable, but it has to be said: many families feel that the priority has shifted away from literacy, numeracy, academic excellence, and toward political and ideological projects.
A flashpoint in Alberta has been curriculum and policy influence from organizations like Egale Canada, often associated with DEI frameworks and gender/sexuality education. Whether you support those approaches or not, it’s undeniable that many Albertans view parts of this agenda as age-inappropriate and akin to the sexualization of children. When parents raise concerns, they’re too often dismissed as ignorant or hateful rather than treated as legitimate stakeholders.
At the same time, teachers are increasingly pulled into union-driven advocacy strategies—where students become emotional leverage in political battles. Strikes, coordinated campaigns, and messaging that frames disagreement as “harm” can turn schools into battlegrounds instead of places of learning.
Albertans want educators to be empowered professionals—not political foot soldiers. And they want education leaders focused on outcomes, not activism.
Recalls and political organizing: why people see a pattern
Recent recall efforts in Alberta have also been interpreted by many as further evidence of political activism woven into civic life—often driven or amplified by individuals affiliated with the ATA, the NDP, or aligned networks.
To be clear, political participation is legal and legitimate. But when the same institutions that influence education policy are also mobilizing campaigns that look partisan, it reinforces public suspicion that the system is being used as a political tool.
That perception matters. Trust matters. And when families lose trust, they seek alternatives.
Independent education is one of those alternatives—and it deserves protection, not punishment.
The path forward: collaboration, not coercion
If Alberta wants long-term stability in education, we need fewer ideological power struggles and more practical solutions:
Raise standards in reading, writing, and math
Support teachers with discipline tools, classroom resources, and admin backup
Respect parents as partners, not obstacles
Keep curriculum transparent and age-appropriate
Allow diverse education models to exist—and fund them fairly
Defunding independent education doesn’t fix public education. It simply strips choice from families and concentrates more power in the same institutions many Albertans believe have become overly political.
Bottom line: keep funding private education in Alberta
Alberta should continue funding private/independent education—including homeschooling supports—because:
Some students need advanced learning pathways the public system doesn’t consistently provide
Many children with disabilities or learning differences thrive in specialized settings
Homeschooling works for many families and often delivers strong results
Choice builds accountability and improves the broader ecosystem
Families should not be financially punished for finding what works for their child
Education should focus on outcomes—not activism
If the left wants to strengthen public education, fine—let’s have that conversation. But ending funding for independent education is not “helping kids.” It’s restricting families, entrenching bureaucracy, and ignoring the real diversity of student needs across this province.
Alberta is at its best when it trusts parents—and funds students, not politics.
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