Provincial mandate forcing Medicine Hat School Division to cut ‘public’ from legal name

However, the Medicine Hat Public School Division were one and will now legally be known as the Medicine Hat School Division.

“It will require us to make some changes in terms of the naming that we use when we enter into legal contracts with other government agencies or land purchases,” said superintendent Mark Davidson. “We’ll have to do a little bit of work to change our names over time in those relationships and certainly any new ones.”

According to the province, the move was done to streamline and even the playing field between Alberta’s various school boards on both the public and separate sides.

Implemented in the Education Act at the beginning of September, the change defines all public and Catholic entities as divisions.

However, separate school boards have been able to keep the legal term Catholic according to Medicine Hat Public School Division board chair Rick Massini.

“I think it’s confusing to the public not to have that public label added so that they can distinguish between the systems,” said Massini.

That’s lead to Massini wondering why public school divisions were singled out.

“My question would be to the minister what’s the difference?” said Massini. “Why would we remove public and not the others?”

Despite no longer possessing the legal name of Medicine Hat Public School Division, Davidson says they won’t be changing any of their signage or lettering.

That’s due to the province giving school divisions the autonomy to name themselves in a non-legal sense.

“School divisions are permitted to brand themselves,” said Davidson. “It’s a funny way to say it, but they’re permitted to brand themselves in a way that fits their community. So, Medicine Hat Public School Division will remain just that in terms of all of it’s media and public facing things, report cards, newsletters, and so on.”

In that vein, Davidson added there should be no changes in cost or branding for students, parents, or the division.

“For our students and the families we serve it should be steady as she goes in terms of naming,” said Davidson.

While MHPSD won’t have to shell out money in regards to the changes, Massini said it’s important for public schools in Alberta to be known as just that.

“We are the public system, we want to be known as the public system,” he said.

Massini added he’s planning to meet with Minister LaGrange to discuss this topic in the near future.

by Scott Roblin

Provincial mandate forcing Medicine Hat School Division to cut ‘public’ from legal name

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