1. Funding

Alberta is one of the richest provinces in Canada and, as such, Alberta students deserve one of the highest funding per student ratios in the country! Unfortunately, this is not what the case is or has been. Instead, the Alberta funding per student ratio has been ranked the lowest, or near the lowest, in the country for many years.

Promise – If elected, Rob promises to donate ten percent (10%) of his Calgary Board of Education (CBE) pay to school councils at Calgary Board of Education (CBE) schools in Wards 12 and 14, a total of $19,252.80 during his term.

Goal – Including the ten percent (10%) of his pay, Rob has set a goal to personally raise over thirty thousand dollars ($30,000.00) for school councils in Wards 12 and 14.

2) Clear and effective communication with all stakeholders and embracing great new ideas for Calgary Board of Education (CBE) schools

Rob is looking forward to creating clear and effective communication with all stakeholders; including students, parents, school councils, Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), and all those who care about Calgary Board of Education (CBE) students. Rob is a big believer in, and proponent of, “giving credit where credit is due”, and is also looking forward to giving credit to those who have great ideas to make the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) even better!

Please note two initiatives Rob will launch when he is elected.

a) Advisory Board – Rob will be creating an advisory board, comprised of awesome retired teachers and principals, in order to get valuable input and ideas from those with valuable knowledge and experience. Rob will then be able to share the input and ideas with the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) School Board and the general public.

b) In person “Meet with Rob, The History Wrangler” Nights – Three times a year, Rob will host events for all ages, comprised of teaching Alberta history, through storytelling and music with his Rocky Mountain Gang Band, followed by a Question and Answer (Q&A) and audience input session on how to make our great schools in Wards 12 and 14 even greater!

3) Promoting Canada’s History National Heritage Fair Program to schools in Wards 12 and 14.

Rob has been the volunteer President of the Calgary and Central Alberta Regional Heritage Fair Committee for the last twelve years and it is one of Rob’s priorities to share the amazing national program with Calgary Board of Education (CBE) schools in Wards 12 and 14. The program is for students in grades four to nine and it is FREE to participate in. The 2026 event is taking place next spring at Heritage Park and it would be great to have schools from Wards 12 and 14 participate for the first time.

4) Time for youth to read more and spend less time on their cellular telephones!

Rob is passionate about reading and is an award-winning author of Alberta-themed historical time travel adventure books for kids of all ages. Rob is deeply troubled that Canada’s youth are reading much less these days for enjoyment and learning after school and, instead, they find themselves on the road to serious addiction problems with their cellular telephones and other screens.

Note: The countless benefits of youth reading include academic, cognitive, social, and emotional development. Reading also enhances vocabulary, comprehension, critical thinking, and stress reduction and cultivates a lifelong love of learning. Reading can improve academic performance, whereas the vast amount of time youth spend on their cellular telephones does none of this, in fact, according to recent research, “Higher amounts of recreational screen time have been associated with mental ill-health among children and youth.”

Rob plans to address his above concern with “Best practices ideas” from around the world and share these ideas with the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) Board of Trustees and concerned parents in Wards 12 and 14.