Part 2 Education Funding: What are the Effects of Alberta's Underfunding Education? - PUF cancelled for Public Education in 2019
Before Specialized Learning Supports:
How Special Needs was funded before 2019.
The UCP has been in control of Alberta’s financing for health care and education since 2019. We explored PUF (program unit funding for children 2.8 - 5 years in public programs and 2.8 - 6 years in private schools), SLS(specialized learning supports - public school districts K - 12), and FSCD funding (Family Support for Children with Disabilities) in a previous article, now we took a look at what replaced PUF in Public Schools, what came before Specialized Learning Supports and how the Alberta Government used this transition to further underfund Public Education. Part 3 will explore RSCD funding and how that impacted Public Education in Alberta.
So what came before Specialized Learning Supports funding?
Program Before SLS: Inclusive Education Funding (Pre-2020 Model)
Before the introduction of Specialized Learning Support (SLS) in the 2020/21 school year, Alberta’s funding for students with special needs in K–12 public, separate, charter, and private schools was delivered through a system called Inclusive Education Funding. This was not a single-named grant like SLS, but a collection of targeted allocations embedded within the broader K–12 Funding Framework.
The pre-2020 model had two main streams for special needs support:
1. Program Unit Funding (PUF) – For Preschool & Kindergarten
Ages: 2 years 8 months to under 6 years (max 3 years of funding, including a full kindergarten year).
Delivery: Through private Early Childhood Services (ECS) operators (e.g., Pacekids, GRIT, Providence) or public school boards running PUF programs.
Purpose: Intensive early intervention (20–30 hours/week) with integrated therapies (SLP, OT, PT, behavioral support).
Funding Model: Per-child, needs-based — not pooled or school-wide.
In 2019/20 Public Kindergarten Students moved onto the Specialized Learning Supports Funding that the UCP put in place.
PUF was the gold standard for early intervention — not part of inclusive education funding but often discussed together because it fed into kindergarten.
2. Inclusive Education Funding (1–12) – The Pre-SLS System
For K to Grade 12, special needs funding was provided through three main allocations (all per-student, targeted): (this is for those who did not qualify for PUF)
Key Differences: Pre-2020 vs. SLS (2020+)
Why the Change?
The UCP government (2019) introduced SLS to:
“Simplify” funding (one grant instead of many),
Reduce administrative burden,
Use pooled block funding for flexibility.
Criticism: This diluted support — especially for severe needs and kindergarten — as money no longer followed the child. School boards could reallocate SLS funds, leading to aide cuts, program closures, and waitlists. (Really they used it to underfund and save money on public education)
Sources:
Alberta Education Funding Manuals (2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21)
Inclusion Alberta reports (2020–2021)
Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) budget analyses
SLS Funding Increase in 2020 After Adding Kindergarten Students vs. 2019
The Specialized Learning Support (SLS) grant is part of Alberta Education’s funding framework for inclusive education, providing additional per-student funding for children with mild, moderate, or severe learning needs. It was introduced in the 2020/21 school year as part of a major overhaul of the K-12 funding model, which replaced the previous system (including elements of Program Unit Funding, or PUF, for kindergarten). Prior to 2020, there was no standalone SLS grant; support for kindergarten students with disabilities. They were primarily handled through PUF (up to three years, including kindergarten) or other Inclusive Education allocations within the base instruction grant.
2019 (2019/20 School Year): No SLS grant existed. Inclusive education funding was embedded in operational grants, with PUF serving as the key mechanism for early intervention (including kindergarten). The per-student PUF rate for eligible kindergarten children was approximately $25,051.20, based on needs codes (e.g., severe disabilities). ***Total operational funding to school authorities decreased by $162 million overall compared to 2018/19, despite ~2-3% enrolment growth province-wide, effectively reducing per-student support in real terms.
2020 (2020/21 School Year): SLS was newly created, with dedicated rates:
Mild/Moderate: $1,565 per student.
Severe (K-12): $3,130 per student.
Severe Kindergarten-Specific: $7,500 per student (a new tier to offset the loss of PUF’s third-year funding for kindergarten, explicitly incorporating those students into SLS). (So previous PUF students dropped from $25,000 to $7,500, saving the government $17,500/student in the public school system, although private schools could still access PUF)
This structure added $2.4 billion in total K-12 funding (to $8.3 billion), but SLS itself was not a net increase—it reallocated PUF kindergarten funds ($25,000 per student) into a lower, pooled grant ($7,500 for severe needs). The change aimed to “simplify” funding but was criticized for reducing intensity (e.g., from individualized to school-wide envelopes), leading to less support for complex needs despite enrolment growth.
Increase After Adding Students: Province-wide enrolment grew 2-3% in 2020/21 (13,000 more students total, including public kindergarten). However, SLS did not increase proportionally—in fact, the effective funding for kindergarten students with needs decreased by approximately 70% per student ($17,551 less than PUF’s 2019 rate). The overall K-12 budget rose nominally by about $100 million, but this was offset by the new 3-year weighted moving average (WMA) enrolment formula, which underfunded growth (e.g., only 50% weight on projected new students). Advocates noted this left school authorities dipping into reserves, with no net gain for SLS despite added kindergarteners.
The shift prioritized “predictability” over growth, resulting in stagnant or reduced real-term support for inclusive education amid rising needs (e.g., autism diagnoses up 20%+ since 2015).
PUF Budget in 2019 vs. 2020
PUF provided targeted early intervention funding for preschool children (2 years 8 months to <6 years) with developmental delays/disabilities, delivered via private ECS operators or school authorities. Budgets were not fixed totals but calculated per eligible child (demand-driven, ~4,000-5,000 children annually pre-2020).
2019 (2019/20 School Year): Per-child rates varied by severity (e.g., $25,051 for severe disabilities). Estimated total was approximately $100-125 million (based on about 5,000 eligible children at average of $20,000-25,000). Fully included kindergarten as year 3.
2020 (2020/21 School Year): Major cuts via the new funding model:
Reduced to 2 years max (pre-kindergarten only; kindergarten eligibility ended, rolled into SLS).
Two tiers: Basic ($15,000-20,000) and Enhanced ($25,000+), based on hours (300-475/week).
Per-child rates lowered for some codes (e.g., 10-20% cut for moderate delays).
Estimated total ~$70-90 million (20-30% reduction, serving fewer children due to shorter duration and tighter criteria). Changes saved approximately $30-40 million but were called “devastating” by parents, as early intervention hours dropped (e.g., from 20-30/week to 10-15).
We are seeing the results of this changeover in schools today, because it has affected children for the last six years, the UCP has been in charge.
PUF’s 2020 reductions aligned with broader fiscal restraint (no growth funding despite 2.2% projected enrolment rise), shifting ~$25-30 million from PUF to SLS without net gain. For details, see Alberta Education’s Funding Manuals (2019/20 and 2020/21). If you’re a parent navigating this, contact your school authority or Inclusion Alberta for advocacy.