One year after Alberta legislated an end to the province-wide teachers’ strike, the Alberta Teachers’ Association says overcrowded classrooms, staffing shortages and gaps in student supports remain concerns despite new provincial investments. ATA president Jason Schilling gave the government “Ds” for class sizes, classroom complexity supports and teacher compensation at a news conference Tuesday marking the anniversary of Bill 2, which invoked the notwithstanding clause to force more than 51,000 teachers back to work. “The government may have legislated an end to the strike, but it has not legislated an end to its responsibility to Alberta’s students and teachers,” Schilling said. His assessment comes as Alberta announces $25.8 million for six independent-school projects expected to create more than 3,500 student spaces, including expansions at three Calgary-area schools. The funding has renewed debate over how the province should address growing enrolment pressures. The government says support for independent schools will expand capacity and give parents more choice, while public-education advocates argue Alberta needs a more sustained investment in the public system. ATA says classroom pressures persist At a news conference in Edmonton, Schilling said the government had taken some initial steps since last year’s strike, including funding for additional teachers and classroom complexity teams. However, he said those measures have not addressed the scale of the challenges facing Alberta schools. “Class sizes, we give that a solid D,” Schilling said when asked to grade the government’s progress. He also assigned a “D” to classroom complexity supports and teacher compensation, arguing that investments to date have not kept pace with the needs of students and educators. The province has committed funding for more than 1,400 additional teachers from Kindergarten to Grade 9, according to Schilling. The government has also invested in up to 699 classroom complexity teams, which provide additional support through education assistants and teachers. But Schilling said some high school teachers are still reporting classes with more than 37 students, while some parents have contacted elected officials about children being placed in classrooms with as many as 42 students. “We still have kids crammed into classrooms across this province,” he said. “We still have students slipping through the cracks.” Schilling added that the ATA had called for about 5,000 additional teachers to address class-size pressures, while the government committed to hiring 3,000 over three years. He said students with complex needs also require more access to speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists and mental-health supports, particularly in rural and remote communities. The association wants funding for additional teachers and classroom complexity teams to continue beyond 2027, along with regular public reporting of class-size data so Albertans can assess whether conditions are improving. Debate over private school funding The government announced Monday that its latest funding package will support projects in Calgary, Edmonton and central Alberta through the Independent School Capital program. The six projects include expansions at Bearspaw Christian School, Khalsa School Calgary and Third Academy, as well as new schools for Edmonton Islamic School and Lighthouse Christian Academy in the Sylvan Lake and Lacombe County area. The $25.8-million provincial contribution is expected to unlock more than $108 million in additional investment from independent school authorities and community partners, bringing total capital construction to more than $134 million. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said the investments will create more spaces while preserving options for families. “We are taking action to create more student spaces while ensuring parents continue to have choice in their children’s education,” Nicolaides said in the government’s announcement. The province says independent schools educate more than seven per cent of Alberta students while receiving less than five per cent of education funding. It also points to its $10.8-billion Schools Now program, which is intended to build and renovate more than 100 public schools across the province. The Independent School Capital program is a three-year, $90-million initiative intended to create up to 6,000 student spaces. Further application rounds are planned for 2027 and 2028. Bearspaw says demand is growing Bearspaw Christian School is receiving $7.9 million in provincial funding for two expansion phases that head of school Jon Roper says will help meet growing demand. “We do recognize enrollment pressures facing public schools, and we believe that expanding independent schools helps accommodate Alberta’s growing student population and helps ease demand for spaces elsewhere,” Roper said. The third phase, valued at $5.6 million, will complete an existing upper floor and add 12 classroom spaces, including STEM and science labs. The province is contributing $1.8 million, with completion expected by September 2027. A fourth phase, valued at $18.3 million, will add 21 classrooms and a learning commons, with the possibility of an auditorium. The province has committed $6.1 million, although a construction timeline has not been finalized. Together, the projects are expected to create 1,372 student spaces, according to the government. Roper said the school also received more than 800 inquiries about its campus program last year, including 120 applications for 72 kindergarten spaces. Its hybrid program also had a wait-list of nearly 100 students. “We’re located beside one of the fastest growing communities in Calgary with Glacier Ridge, so we expect demand to continue to rise.” He said the school community will contribute significantly to the construction costs, with provincial grants covering only part of each project. Roper also noted the scale of public-school capital spending, saying the $25.8 million announced for six independent-school projects is equivalent to 0.3 per cent of the province’s previously announced $8.6-billion investment in public-school capital. “We value our public school colleagues, and we really support investment in their students as well,” Roper said. Parent advocate questions provincial priorities Medeana Moussa, executive director of Support Our Students Alberta, said she believes the province should prioritize public schools, which serve students across communities regardless of their families’ ability to access a particular independent school. “When the government is prioritizing these private businesses over public schools that are there for the public good and to serve each and every student, I think the government is not prioritizing Albertans in an equitable and fair way,” Moussa said. She acknowledged that targeted funding has eased pressure in some classrooms, but said families have not been given a clear picture of the overall impact. Moussa said the funding for classroom supports has been temporary, with no firm commitment to maintain those measures over the longer term. She also criticized the lack of publicly available data showing how investments have affected class sizes. She said the funding aimed at easing overcrowding has largely focused on Kindergarten to Grade 9, leaving high schools without comparable supports to address class-size pressures. “What the public school system really needs is long-term, predictable funding that is adequate,” she said. Moussa also questioned whether the independent-school grants offer the most efficient way to create additional student spaces. She pointed to the $4-million grant for Lighthouse Christian Academy, which the government says will create 126 net new spaces. “I find this decision is also quite egregious when it comes to financial efficiency,” Moussa said. “In my estimation, that’s a bit of a waste when that could be very much well better used in public schools that would serve hundreds of students.” Moussa added that public schools are also facing increasing expectations and administrative requirements, while she believes there is insufficient transparency around how public money is used by independent schools. NDP says underlying problems remain The Alberta NDP also criticized the government on the anniversary of Bill 2, arguing that invoking the notwithstanding clause did not resolve the issues that led teachers to walk off the job. “One year ago, the UCP became the first government in Alberta history to pre-emptively invoke the notwithstanding clause to take away the rights of teachers,” NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said in a news release. “It was an unprecedented abuse of power, completely undemocratic, and it set a dangerous precedent.” Nenshi also referenced the government’s subsequent use of the notwithstanding clause in legislation concerning transgender youth. The NDP said chronic underfunding, staffing shortages, overcrowding and increasingly complex classrooms remain concerns for parents and educators. Meanwhile, Schilling said the ATA remains willing to work with the government but wants more meaningful engagement with teachers and a sustained commitment to improving classroom conditions. “The needs of many of our schools remain greater than the response by government,” he said.
