OLEP – Provincial Advisory Committee (PAC)

Seeking new members

Alberta Education is seeking new members for the next 2-year term of the Official Languages in Education Programs Provincial Advisory Committee (OLEP PAC) to meet quarterly during negotiations of the Protocol for Agreements for Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction between Canada and the provinces and territories, and bi-annually thereafter. The committee discusses and strategizes direction and leadership to ensure the vitality of francophone education and French second-language programming in Alberta.

The committee is comprised of proportional representation of members from diverse school authorities and geographical regions across Alberta.

The members that have served 2 years are replaced each year to stagger the end dates for the members of the 2-year period, ensuring a level of continuity and experience in representation on the committee. Alberta Education is seeking the following:

• Francophone:
  • 1 representative from a francophone school authority
• French second-language:
  • 1 representative from a northern school authority
  • 2 representatives from a central school authority
  • 1 representative from a southern school authority
  • 1 of the above must be from a rural school authority and one of the above must be from a separate school authority
  • 1 representative from an independent or charter school

Superintendents or designates representing any of the school authorities above who wish to sit on the OLEP PAC for 2021/22 to 2022/23 should submit a letter indicating their interest in becoming a member of the committee by Friday, September 3, 2021, to [email protected]. Please include the following information in your letter of interest:

• Name
• Title
• School Authority
• Statement of interest
• Signature
• Signature of Superintendent (if the representative is designated by the superintendent)

The purpose of PAC

The OLEP PAC is a committee comprised of proportional representation of members from diverse geographical regions including:

• Francophone regional authorities and second-language school authorities
• rural and urban school authorities
• public and separate school authorities, and
• representatives from Alberta Education

The committee discusses and strategizes direction and leadership related to official languages in education programs to ensure the vitality of francophone education and French second-language programming in Alberta through:

• targeted funding;
• enriched program delivery; and
• collaborative action.

It is not a decision-making body.

2019/20 to 2020/21 OLEP PAC members

Francophone regional authority representatives:

• Anne-Marie Boucher, Executive Director, Fédération des conseils scolaires francophone de l’Alberta (FCSFA)
• Robert Lessard, Superintendent, Greater North Central Francophone Education Region

French second-language school authority representatives:

• Barry Litun, Executive Director, College of Alberta School Superintendents (CASS) – ending July 31, 2020
• David Keohane, Executive Director, College of Alberta School Superintendents (CASS) – effective August 1, 2020
• Helmut Kaiser, Director, Instructional Services, Calgary Catholic School Division
• Sandy MacDonald, Superintendent, Grande Prairie School Division
• Ryan Marshall, Director, Elk Island School Division
• Carra Aschenmeier, Director of Curriculum, Grande Yellowhead School Division

Representatives from Alberta Education:

• Ministry of Education (Chair) – Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Services and Governance or Designate
• Ministry of Education (Secretariat) – Director, Intergovernmental Relations or Designate

Contact

Connect with the Alberta Official Languages in Education Programs (OLEP) office:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-427-2940
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Email: [email protected]