According to the Alberta Teachers’ Association, new data from Statistics Canada confirms Alberta continues to spend the least on public education of any province in Canada.
Data released recently shows operational expenditures by school boards in Alberta totalled $11,601 per student in the 2020/21 school year. The Canadian average for all provinces for that same school year was $13,332 per student.
Alberta students deserve better, says ATA President Jason Schilling. “The premier used a province-wide television address to forecast budget funding that would not keep up with enrolment growth and inflation.”
“For public education, this is nothing new. It’s been our reality for years, and that is how we have ended so far behind every other province,” adds Schilling.
Data shows school boards would need at least a 13 per cent boost in funding to bring education spending to the national average. This is equivalent to about $10 per student per day of school, according to the ATA.
“Thursday’s budget will be an interesting test for government. Will it make Alberta’s students a priority and move them toward the level of funding provided to every other student in Canada, or will it continue to make excuses, overcrowd classrooms, under support students and demand more from teachers to keep the system afloat?” says Schilling.
