After housing extra cash last year, 2025-26 is coming along nicely for the CBE’s pockets.
Despite heavy government related revenue loss and funding clawbacks, the Calgary Board of Education is forecasting a modest surplus through the early goings of the 2025-26 school year.
Current projections are signalling a $2.4 million surplus by school year’s end. The modest surplus supports the broader CBE strategy of increasing its Accumulated Surplus from Operations with the ultimate objective of achieving operating reserves of $35 million, according to a report drafted in late 2025 and presented at the Jan. 27 CBE board of trustees meeting.
The year’s overall revenues have seen a $66.6 million dollar negative swing compared to May 2025 made budget projections. According to the report, the decrease is largely due to October 2025’s province wide teacher strike, where teachers went without salaries for most of the month.
Since the end of September 2025, the CBE welcomed 987 new students into its schools, with enrolment continuing to increase monthly. Despite these students not attracting additional funding from Alberta Education and Childcare, the CBE continues to find welcoming spaces for them to learn, the report says.
“With an average student allocated approximately $6,998 in our Resource Allocation Method (RAM), this equates to an additional expense of $6.9 million that had to be accommodated within existing budget allocations,” the report reads.
“We are proud of the work done across the CBE to ensure all students can access public education within the allocated.”
Nancy Close, CBE Trustee for Wards 11 and 13, said that having students joining mid-year not be government funded is a large area for future growth.
“When I read through this, to me, it fully showcases that (provincial) student funding is not meeting our needs,” she said during the meeting.
“It actually shows that funded students versus actual students is a completely separate conversation. I just needed to say that out loud.”
As it stands, funded enrolment is lower than the 2025-26 budget of 146,142 by 3,739 students. Brad Grundy CBE Superintendent of Finance and Chief Financial Officer, said that the board is experiencing modest but steady growth, especially compared to the previous three years.
All numbers presented in the report are well within reasonable expectations, Grundy said, adding that the surplus will help develop the board’s emergency nest egg.
“With this forecasted surplus, the CBE is well along the path to funding an operating reserve balance that allows it to safely maintain the continuity of educational programming in the face of unanticipated events,” he said during the meeting.
“We, the CBE, sit upon a solid financial foundation that will allow us to live our values.”
