Alberta government to spend $215 million on managing school enrolment growth

The Alberta government will be providing $215 million to school authorities to what it says will allow them to adjust their planning for the upcoming school year. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said this funding can be used to hire more teachers and support staff and to ease operational pressures. “Our intent is to prevent cost pressures from impeding our ability to provide quality education,” said Smith at a Tuesday press conference. “We want our educators’ focus to remain on the classroom and on students.” For that to happen, Smith said schools need classroom space to accommodate growing enrolment. That is why it is spending money on the construction and installation of up to 100 additional modular classrooms for the upcoming school year. Because of these modular classrooms, she said 2,500 more student spaces will be created. Additionally, it is spending money on the relocation of up to 50 modular classrooms to add 1,250 student spaces in the Calgary Metropolitan Region and Edmonton. She said Alberta’s education system remains one of the best in the world. This is because of the teachers, support staff, school authorities, and educational partners who have worked hard to provide quality education to students. Smith concluded by saying the Alberta government will be there for school authorities. She said it will support them as they continue educating and empowering the next generation. Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said he is confident this funding will ensure students receive a world-class education. “To ensure money flows to the classroom through this period of historic growth, we’re providing our school boards with $125 million,” said Nicolaides. “This $125 million will go towards our school boards to help them deal with increasing enrolment and increasing costs.” Nicolaides said the remaining $90 million will go towards purchasing and moving modular classrooms. With this funding, Edmonton will see 43 new modular classrooms, Rocky View Schools will receive 12 more and the ability to relocate 12, and Calgary will have 45 more. Alberta United Conservative MLA Mike Ellis (Calgary-West) started off the press conference by saying more people are moving to Calgary and Alberta every year. “I know that all of my caucus colleagues would say the same things about their constituencies,” said Ellis. “With the new families, it’s important we continue to support our world-class education system so that their children have the supports they need to succeed in the classrooms.” Ellis said he has been a strong advocate for Alberta’s education system. With this announcement, he predicted it is one families will be celebrating. Nicolaides followed up by saying the $125 million towards operating funding is going towards all school authorities. “So they will see a 1% increase in all of their base rates, and all school authorities will see a 2% increase in some of the specialized learner support grants, including supports for English as an Additional Language, PUF (Program Unit Funding) supports, and other areas,” he said. Cardus Director of Communications Daniel Proussalidis responded by asking if this additional funding was the full solution. “Does the provincial government recognize that independent schools also have a role to play in helping to reduce classroom overcrowding?” said Proussalidis. “And yet, there's been a net total of only one new independent school opening in Alberta in the last decade, according to a recent report from think tank Cardus.”Meanwhile, Proussalidis said Alberta’s independent school population has grown by 45% since the 2013-2014 school year. That is triple the growth rate in public schools.The Alberta government said in March it will be spending $381 million in Budget 2024 to move 43 school projects forward. READ MORE: Alberta government to fund new schools in growing communities“Twenty-eight of these projects will be new schools in our fastest-growing communities,” said Nicolaides.“Of the 35,000 new spaces that will be created under this plan, over 80% of those spaces will be in Calgary and Edmonton.”