Education Minister Adriana LaGrange. (Government of Alberta)

By Justin Goulet

Province says funding will enhance growth, parental choices in K-12 education

Mar 25, 2022 | 11:23 AM

EDMONTON, AB – Over the next three years, the provincial government will be investing more than $700 million into the education system through Budget 2022.

Operational funding allocations for all school authorities will be the same or higher in the coming school year compared with the current year. The province says it is maintaining funding to the education system and adding funding for pandemic-related cost pressures and extra supports.

Alberta’s Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange said, “delivering a wide range of education choice to families remains a key priority for Alberta’s government.”

“By ensuring all choices are well-funded, parents can select the type of education they feel will help their child reach their full potential. No matter what choice they make, parents can be confident their child is getting a world-class, high-quality education.”

In an effort to support growth in the education system, new school authorities will now be given financial assistance when starting up. If eligible under criteria outlined in the education funding manual, new schools opened by existing school authorities will be funded at their actual enrolment for the first three years instead of the weighted moving average.

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The change applies to all public, separate, francophone, public charter and independent school authorities and will better support growth of new schools, sites and programs.

The recently released funding manual for school authorities for the 2022-2023 school year can be seen through the province’s website. It includes details on upcoming funding changes, including new school start-up funding, expansion funding and equitable grant funding for public charter schools.

Chair of the Alberta Association of Public Charter Schools, Ron Koper said “the new funding manual changes continue the government’s progress toward providing fair funding support to all Alberta students and families.”

FUNDING FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIALIZED LEARNING NEEDS

The province says changes to eligibility for grants will ensure public charter schools receive the same funding support for students as other public school authorities.

This includes equitable supports for students with disabilities and those who require specialized supports through the Specialized Learning Supports grant.

The province is also investing $2 million over the next two years in supports for home education students and families, including resources, virtual parent learning sessions, evaluations and coordinated consultations with speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, behavioural and mental health therapists and psychologists.

The new supports are intended to make sure any student whose family has notified the government that they are home educated will have access to assessments and supports.

The province noted that education’s consolidated expense increases by $142 million and reaches $8.4 billion in 2022-2023. Additional funding will help ensure all school authorities can adequately manage enrolment growth, retain teachers and support staff and address ongoing cost pressures.

Operational funding to school authorities was not decreased despite 726,654 students being projected in 2021-2022 and only 716,868 being enrolled.