Alberta’s Education Crisis: A Retired Teacher’s Perspective
Letter to the editor in response to Nicolaides July 7th Op Ed on Investment in Education.
I retired from EPSB and left the classroom in 2024. I would like to respond to Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides’ recent op-ed, which outlines the government’s support for educators. While the minister paints an optimistic picture, reality tells a different story, one of underfunding, overstretched resources, and a system struggling to support Alberta’s growing student population.
Public school funding (> 9% from 2019 to 2023) has not kept pace with enrolment growth or inflation, with Alberta’s per-student funding remaining the lowest in Canada. (Public and Separate school boards have grown by 12.3%.) Charter schools (serving ~1.5% of students) receive a disproportionate share relative to public schools, which serve 93% of Alberta students. Charter school funding increased from $43.2 million in 2022 to $408 million in 2024, approximately an 844% increase. The UCP has passed a bill to ensure all new school buildings remain in Alberta Infrastructure. They can now determine who occupies those buildings, much like they did with hospitals in April 2025.
Since 2020, Alberta’s student enrolment has surged by 91,023, reaching 825,817 students by 2024/25. Urban centers like Edmonton have seen a 25% increase under the UCP government, yet infrastructure has not kept pace. The government’s promise to build new schools and modular classrooms is welcome, but construction takes years, and in the meantime, overcrowded urban schools struggle under the weight of this growth. Meanwhile, rural schools face a different challenge: declining enrolment. I know of one rural school with just 17 students in Grades 1 - 6, kept afloat by oil company donations rather than sustainable government funding. This patchwork approach is no substitute for systemic solutions.
The UCP’s funding model aggravates these issues. Before their tenure, school boards received funding based on actual student counts on September 30th each year. The UCP shifted to a weighted moving average, Funding Manual for School Authorities 2020/21
School Year Weighted Factor Enrollment Count FTE
2018/19 20% Actual
2019/20 30% Estimate
2020/21 50% Projection
It often left boards underfunded for real-time needs. Compounding this, Alberta’s per-student funding is the lowest in Canada, stretched thinner by funding charter schools 100% and covering 70% of private school costs. This formula changed in 2024/25, but a $1.2 billion annual shortfall has left public education playing catch-up.
Staffing shortages are another crisis point. During COVID-19, the UCP fired 26,000 support workers via a tweet in March 2020, including Educational Assistants (EAs). Today, with 14,600 EAs supporting 825,817 students, compared to 734,794 students in 2020/21 with 11,400 more EAs. This is a more critical issue since federal funding under Jordan’s Principal is winding down. The system is critically understaffed. Rural schools resort to parents supervising classrooms when teachers are unavailable, leaving students with busy work rather than meaningful instruction. The government’s pledge to hire 4,000 new educators sounds promising, but a shortage of qualified teachers makes this a hollow promise in the short term. (Update Sept. 22/25 the new mandate letter for the Education Minister directs him to find ways to get people with other degrees or Trade Certification a way to fast-track into the teaching profession)
Special needs students are particularly underserved. Many parents advocate for integration to foster social skills and community belonging, yet the UCP’s decision to end Alberta Health Services’ contract for school-based supports forced boards to scramble. EPSB and others had to assemble teams for speech therapy, physiotherapy, mental health support, and more, but these services are often limited in scope and availability. This shift, which the government claimed boards requested, has reduced the quality and quantity of support for our most vulnerable students. The Educational Assistants shortage also impacts programming for special needs students. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/education-funding-grants-ahs-cbe-alberta-schools-specialized-learning-1.5769917
The rushed implementation of a new K–6 curriculum, covering all subjects except social studies and fine arts, has further strained the system. Introduced post-COVID without adequate resources or teacher training, it assumes prior knowledge that students often lack due to learning disruptions. Additionally, new “learning loss” testing for Kindergarten to Grade 3 diverts teaching time, stresses students, and yields no clear improvement in outcomes.
Nicolaides celebrates Alberta’s PISA results, but these reflect the efforts of dedicated teachers and affluent schools, not government policies. Educators go above and beyond despite systemic challenges. The Alberta Teachers’ Association, school boards, and the government must find common ground to address these issues. Education in Alberta was never perfect, but it worked. Today, it risks collapse under the weight of government actions. Another panel that doesn’t include parents and educators is a waste of time. As a retired teacher, I urge the government to listen to educators and invest meaningfully in our students’ future.
Tami Smith
AB Resistance
July 27/2025
Demetrios Nicolaides: Alberta investing in education to meet growth | Edmonton Journal
In response to ATA President Shilling’s letter dated June 30/2025
June 30/2025
Opinion: Smith government gets failing grade on education funding https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-smith-government-gets-failing-grade-on-education-funding
Thank you! Excellent information
The primary madates for a provincial government in Canada are delivery of education and healthcare. Daniel Smith has failed spectacularly on both. Her Alberta Next panel conspicuously avoids any mention of either.