Teachers association seeks support for current students following capital funding announcement

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on September 20, 2024.

In a press release Wednesday the Alberta Teachers Association says it recognizes the importance of building new schools to meet the demands of rising growth in student population the province is undergoing, however it urges for more action for today’s students.

The ATA has been ramping up its ad campaign called ‘Stop the Excuses’ which highlights Alberta’s rank as the lowest in per-student operating expenses in the 2020/21 school year at $11,601. Quebec ranked at the top at $15,116 per student.

During a Wednesday press conference in Calgary, Premier Danielle Smith said the province spends between “$10,000 and $11,000 per student.”

Association president Jason Schilling says chronic underfunding has left schools and students in dire need, and the province needs to “catch up” before moving forward with planning construction of 90 new school projects over the next three years.

“Public education needs to work for the students of today and the students of tomorrow,” says Schilling. “Creating a fast-track to build new schools may be a place to start, but it cannot be where the government’s commitment to students ends.”

The association says the province’s capital spending of $8.6 billion to create 200,000 K-12 educational spaces over the next seven years does not address current issues with overcrowded classrooms.

“(Tuesday’s) announcement that any relief for the operational and funding crisis must wait until Budget 2025 means another year of overcrowded classrooms, unmet needs, decreased support for students with complex issues and a lack of learning resources,” states the release.

The association is urging residents and parents to contact local government representatives to voice their concerns with the current state of the province’s education system.

“While this announcement promises to meet the future needs of students and teachers in Alberta, it leaves our education system struggling to respond to enrolment and resource issues.”

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