Board

What is a Trustee?

There are 61 public, separate and francophone school boards in Alberta that are elected by and accountable to the communities they serve.

School boards play an important role. Through the Education Act, the Government of Alberta delegates much of its authority for the governance of education to locally elected boards.

Some of the decisions made by school boards include:

  • Planning for the jurisdiction, setting priorities for the system in light of community wishes, available resources and sound educational practice
  • Setting goals for the jurisdiction, ensuring education stays in step with today's world 
  • Evaluating the School Board Superintendent Adopting an annual budget for the school system 
  • Making policy to guide the administration and employees toward district goals 
  • Communicating with the community and staff on behalf of the jurisdiction 
  • Educating others, with a goal of ensuring education is given a high priority by the public and to make the community aware of the jurisdiction's achievements 
  • Gathering information in order to make sound decisions 
  • Adjudicating in policy disputes (Adapted from the Alberta School Boards Association)School boards have the responsibility to make decisions regarding the health and safety of their students. This includes assessing risks and ensuring that the best interests of all their students, teachers, administrators, parents and volunteers are being considered.

The Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) has developed resources to help citizens better understand the role of trustees. To look up schools and school boards by their name or location, details are at http://www.asba.ab.ca/about-asba/people/school-boards/

The school board is made up of trustees elected every four years from wards (at large) in the jurisdiction. As elected officials, school board trustees are accountable to the voters. As stewards of millions of dollars in public funds, they are accountable to taxpayers. And as people entrusted with the care and education of children, they are responsible to parents and the community-at-large."

Reference: 

https://www.albertaschoolcouncils.ca/

https://www.asba.ab.ca/

http://www.qp.alberta.ca/1266.cfm?page=L21.cfm&leg_type=Acts&isbncln=9780779769339

https://www.alberta.ca/K-12-education-legislation-and-regulations.aspx

 

“We teach; we share; we learn; we care. We grow in Christ, believing that together we can make a difference.” Treaty Land Recognition - “We acknowledge that treaty 6 & 7 territories, on which we stand, is the ancestral land of the Indigenous peoples, and is common home to everyone in virtue of God, our Creator’s, gracious gift.” Alberta Public Catholic Education. © 2024 East Central Catholic Schools.