LEARNING MINISTER FIRES THE CALGARY BOARD OF EDUCATION

CALGARIANS GIVE TOP GRADES TO ALBERTA'S LEARNING MINISTER FOR FIRING THE ENTIRE CALGARY BOARD OF EDUCATION

OVER 7-IN-10 CALGARIANS SIDE WITH LEARNING MINISTER LYLE OBERG'S DECISION TO DISMISS THE ENTIRE ELECTED BOARD

AWARENESS OF THE CONTROVERSY IS VERY HIGH AMONG CALGARY VOTERS

This citywide Angus Reid Group poll is based on a telephone survey of a random sample of adult Calgarians. The survey was conducted between August 20th and 24th, 1999 among a representative cross-section of 400 respondents.

These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's gender and age composition reflects that of the actual Calgary population according to 1996 Census data.

With a citywide sample of 400, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results are within +4.9 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire adult population of the city been polled. The margin of error will be larger for other sub-groupings of the survey population.

CALGARIANS GIVE TOP GRADES TO ALBERTA'S LEARNING MINISTER FOR FIRING THE ENTIRE CALGARY BOARD OF EDUCATION

OVER 7-IN-10 CALGARIANS SIDE WITH LEARNING MINISTER LYLE OBERG'S DECISION TO DISMISS THE ENTIRE ELECTED BOARD

AWARENESS OF THE BOARD CONTROVERSY IS VERY HIGH AMONG CALGARY VOTERS

On August 19, 1999, Alberta Learning Minister, Lyle Oberg, put an end to the infighting by members of the Calgary Public School Board, and in so doing, ignited a controversy of his own. The Minister fired all seven elected board members, replacing them with an appointed interim Trustee to manage affairs until by-elections are held in November. In making this move, Oberg has decisively dealt with the Calgary Board's inability "get along", but at the same time, the decision has drawn some editorial fire about the implications of ministerial prerogative interceding over democratic expressions of the public will.

The Angus Reid Group asked Calgarians for their take on Minister Oberg's actions - the first scientific measurement of the public's views on the matter. Here we find Calgarians offer a solid endorsement for Mr. Oberg with over seven-in-ten (71%) saying the Minister's actions were justified and proper. Our survey also finds that nearly eight-in-ten (77%) Calgarians have followed the public trials and tribulations of the Board over the last month, culminating in their ouster by the Minister.

These are the highlights gleaned from a Calgary-wide Angus Reid Group, Inc. telephone survey of 400 adult respondents. Interviews were conducted between August 20th and August 24th, 1999. A sample size of 400 is said to have a corresponding margin of error of +4.9 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.

OVER 7-IN-10 CALGARIANS SIDE WITH LEARNING MINISTER LYLE OBERG'S DECISION TO DISMISS THE ENTIRE ELECTED BOARD

Our August sample of adult Calgarians was presented with a brief description of the facts related to the dismissal of the seven trustees elected to the Calgary Public School Board. With this information in hand, survey respondents were offered two prompted competing arguments surrounding the matter, and asked which point of view best reflected their own feelings on the situation. The exact wording of the question was as follows:

"As you may or may not have heard, recently provincial Learning Minster, Lyle Oberg, dismissed the entire seven member Calgary Public School Board. Mr. Oberg said the Board was not functioning in a satisfactory manner, and replaced them with a single appointed trustee until by-elections can be held sometime around the New Year. Which of the following two broad points of views best describes your own on this issue?"

• Some/Other people say that the Learning Minister was RIGHT to dismiss the school board because the board's infighting meant they weren't doing their job.
• Some/Other people say that the Learning Minister was WRONG to dismiss the board because trustees were elected by the public and the minister is over-riding democracy.

Calgarians offer a strong endorsement for the Learning Minister in our August poll, with seven-in-ten (71%) saying he was right to dissolve the Board, compared to only one-quarter (23%) who believe the dismissals were an improper exercise of his ministerial powers. Another 4% of those interviewed do not feel that either prompted statement captures their sentiments accurately, while 2% are unsure.

• One of the interesting characteristics of support for the Learning Minister is the lack of variation across different demographic segments. Looking across breaks for age, education, gender and status as a parent, differences in support for Mr. Oberg's actions are only nominal.
• Support for the Board's dismissal is modestly higher among those in the highest income category ($70,000 + household earnings per year).

Among those who side with the Minister's actions, a majority (51%) cite, on an unprompted basis, the Board's inability to function as the main driver for their views. Others pointed to the personal fighting and bickering (23%) as just cause, while some use Woo-Paw's own words, describing the Board as "dysfunctional" (16%) and others characterize the trustees' behaviour as "childish" (11%). Other spontaneous comments express that the time was right for "someone to put their foot down" on the Board's behaviour, and that the quality of education would suffer and tax dollars would be wasted if the Board continued.

On the other side of the question, those who took issue with the Minister's actions maintain that the matter could have been handled in a more democratic fashion (62%) or that a bad elected board is still better than an appointed trustee (19%). Others in this camp believe that Mr. Oberg may have acted hastily (17%) and should have taken more time or that a mediator should have been brought in (6%).

AWARENESS OF THE BOARD CONTROVERSY IS VERY HIGH AMONG CALGARY VOTERS

According to our August survey, Calgarians are well aware of the controversy involving the Calgary Public School Board and Minister Lyle Oberg. Prior to discussing any question related to the appropriateness of the Minister's actions, our polling opened with a query asking Calgarians if they had seen, heard or read anything involving the Calgary Board of Education and provincial Learning Minister, Lyle Oberg in the past month - fully 77% have.

• Awareness of issues involving the Calgary Public School Board and Learning Minister Lyle Oberg tends to increase with the age, income and education of survey respondents.

When asked about the content of the information, this group of Calgarians offers considerable detail about the matter on an open-ended basis. Over eight-in-ten (81%) who had heard of any controversy accurately note that the Minister fired the Board. Others paint a picture of a "childish" (19%) and "dysfunctional" (7%) board, with other responses noting that responsibilities will be assumed by an appointed trustee (5%) and by-elections are planned (1%). Only 5% of those who said they had heard about anything involving the Calgary Public School Board and the provincial Learning Minister raise the peripheral issue of funding, while 9% mention various other concerns.

Commenting on the survey results, Tim Olafson, Senior Vice President for the Angus Reid Group, noted:

"For the most part, Calgary voters do not see Lyle Oberg's actions as an encroachment on the democratic process, rather it is viewed as an exceptional case, not a precedent-setting one. This is a very salient issue in Calgary and public sentiment, expressed by Calgarians from all walks of life, is that the board was elected to do a job and if personal or ideological impasses prevent them from doing that job, they should be fired. The Learning Minister took a bold move - he essentially nullified the outcome of a popular vote - but as far as most Calgarians are concerned, he did it for the right reasons and they endorse it."

For further information contact:

Tim Olafson
Senior Vice-President
Angus Reid Group
(403) 237-0066

Marc Henry
Senior Research Manager
Angus Reid Group, Inc.
(403) 237-0066

The Angus Reid Group is Canada's largest and most well known Canadian research company. Established in 1979 by Dr. Angus Reid, the company serves 1200 clients via its six offices in Canada, four offices in the United States and its European office in London, England. With a compliment of 250 full time qualitative and quantitative researchers, the company has annual revenues of $65 Million and is growing at an average rate of 30 percent per year. The employee owned company also operates its own field service entity, Direct Reid, utilizing 450 CATI telephone interviewing stations for north American calling and a 50,000 household consumer panel in Canada.