The provincial government is investing an additional $126 million over three years to support complex needs in classrooms across Alberta.
“Alberta’s government has heard from teachers and school authorities that classrooms are becoming increasingly complex,” a government of Alberta press release said. “Many students in Alberta have diverse cognitive, social, and emotional needs. Some may have learning disabilities or behavioural challenges, and others may need extra support learning English as an additional language.”
The additional funding will ensure students have the supports they need in place to be successful in their studies.
The funding will enable schools to hire more educational assistants, counsellors, psychologists and interpreters, increase hours, and provide more training opportunities for staff.
“This funding will help school authorities increase staffing supports in complex classrooms, which will enhance student experiences and have positive effects on their personal and social development,” the release said.
“We recognize that today’s classrooms are more complex than ever, and we are taking decisive action to increase the number of support staff in schools. For students with diverse and differentiating needs, this means more focused time and attention. We appreciate the work that educational assistants and other support staff do to provide positive and successful learning experiences for Alberta’s diverse students,” Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Education said.
The $126 million classroom complexity fund grant will be allocated based on student enrolment and is expected to reduce paperwork and avoid administrative burden placed on school authorities.
Funding for the 2023/24 school year will be allocated to school authorities in September as part of operational funding.
In addition to the grant, Alberta Education is in the process of developing and piloting another grant to keep educational assistants in classrooms.
Learning disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic also added to classroom complexities, with shifts between in-person and remote learning, and staff and student absences.
To address the learning disruptions, the provincial government is investing $20 million over two years to close learning gaps and strengthen students’ literacy and numeracy skills.
The funding will be available for students in Grades 1 through Grade 5, who need help with reading and math.
By 2025, the provincial government will have invested $85 million to support student COVID-19 learning loss recovery, and $50 million to support student mental health pilot projects across the province, the release said.
“This investment from the government is appreciated, as it will assist school boards in their continued support of student learning and mitigate long-term effects of the pandemic,” Marilyn Dennis, president, Alberta School Boards Association said.
“The CASS board of directors is appreciative of the increased funding for classroom complexity and continued funding to address learning loss. The board values the flexibility to address the unique context of each school authority while also reducing red tape requirements associated with this grant,” Scott Morrison, president, College of Alberta School Superintendents said.
Budget 2023 will support hiring approximately 3,000 education staff including educational assistants, bus drivers, and school support staff over three years.
Alberta’s Education budget for 2023/24 is $8.8 billion, with $820 million allocated to support enrolment growth.
Funding will support school authorities in managing class sizes and the growing number of students.
Budget 2023 also includes nearly $1.5 billion in learning support funding for students with specialized learning needs, and those requiring more help at school.
Specialized learning supports include Program Unit Funding, English as an Additional Language, Refugee Students, First Nations, Métis and Inuit.
“The funding rate for most of these grants will increase by 10 per cent for the 2023/24 school year to help school authorities manage complex learning needs and address inflationary cost pressures,” the release said.
