Funding for public education has remained largely flat in recent years, despite enrolment growth of tens of thousands of additional students. Provincial funding for public education has been further complicated by the pandemic. Next year public education will continue to experience cost pressures as enrolment is expected to grow again, new curriculum will be piloted and COVID will still be impacting classrooms. Alberta’s students need school trustees who will stand up for them and advocate for funding adequacy to support these challenges.
Once a school division knows what funds it will be getting, the board must establish a budget to outline how those funds will be spent. Detailed profiles of government funding for each school board can be found on the Alberta Education website.
Trustees have to make important choices about programs and staffing to ensure that funding best supports student learning. Ultimately, school board budgets determine:
- how many teachers are hired
- how large classes will be
- what programs will be offered and
- what resources and supports will be made available
Trustees must act as advocates for their students and constituents. Ask candidates
- how they plan to ensure that their school board gets the funding it requires,
- how they will individually and as a board work with the provincial government on matters of funding adequacy and stability,
- what their priorities will be in allocating funds to schools and classrooms, and
- what their views are on fundraising, school fees and appropriate uses of corporate sponsorship.