On the heels of other support announcement following the Oct. 2025 teachers strike, the Alberta government has announced highest ever funding for the province’s school districts, a positive development for the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA).

Up seven per cent from last year, if passed, Budget 2026 will allocate $10.8 billion to education in Alberta. Funding will be put towards school construction and renovation projects, and the main talking point of 2025’s teacher strike, classroom complexity. 

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the more than 120 school projects currently underway in the province are a good start, but it will take more than new school facilities to improve the current education system.

“It’s clear that class sizes and complexity are major pressures, and we’ve committed $143 million to start addressing those specific issues. But the work doesn’t stop there, Alberta has one of the best school systems in the entire world, and we are determined to keep it that way,” she said.

“This funding will be enough to hire 1,600 teachers and 800 support staff in the coming years.”

Getting Alberta’s education system fully caught up with population growth is a multi-year effort, Smith said. Over the next three years, funding is projected to increase annually, allowing school districts to hire adequate teachers, according to the Premier. By the 2028-29 school year, education funding will sit near the $11.5 billion mark.

Budget 2026 will invest $355 million to address classroom complexity, said Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta Minister of Education and Childcare. Fifty-five-million-dollars will be directed to the existing classroom complexity grant, and $300 million will be invested based on consultation with individual school districts.

Other grants and sectors receiving increases include $20 million to support young students in reading and math. Program Unit Funding, Moderate Language Delay and English as Additional Language, will all receive increased funding by approximately six per cent. 

The Specialized Learner Support grant, Refugee Student grant, First Nation, Metis, Inuit grant and Student Technology grant will all increase by three per cent, Nicolaides said.

“Budget 2026 also increases school transportation funding by three per cent to ensure that over 340,000 students make it to school safely each day,” he said.

Jason Schilling, ATA President, said he was positively surprised with the government’s budget allocation, crediting his members and Alberta’s general public for their advocacy.

“I want to say thank you for everything that you’ve done, thank you for standing up together, for speaking up. Your voices have shaped the path forward and today, we see the results of teacher unity and by standing as one alongside parents in the community, collectively, we moved the needle,” he said.

“We elevated classroom complexity from a conversation to a funding priority. This investment in Alberta’s classrooms belongs to every teacher who shared their story and every Albertan who stood beside them. The promises laid out in this budget are substantial.”

In his seven years as association president, Schilling has not witnessed such significant investment into schools, one that is a meaningful step forward towards addressing the challenging learning conditions that have hindered students and teachers for far too long, he said.

“However, an investment on paper is just the beginning. The success of this budget must not only be measured in dollars, but by the number of new staff and new supports that arrive in our classrooms. It is now up to school boards to use this funding and transparent with transparency and speed, we expect, as an association and as teachers that every dollar of this investment to be used exactly where it is intended, directly supporting students and relieving the pressures on teachers.”

Despite the province dealing with a significant deficit, according to Premier Danielle Smith, investing in the next generation of Albertans is among the government’s top priorities.

“We learned long ago that when prices are low, the key is to limit our spending increases and to focus our spending where it matters most, on education, health and other infrastructure needed to uphold our world-class living standards and support our thriving economy,” she said.

Much of Budget 2025’s funding, the largest education investment at the time, was earmarked for building and renovating schools across the province while speeding up the construction process. Smith said that the 42 fast-tracked projects under the school construction accelerator program are an impressive result.

Calgary Catholic advocated for sustainable funding, additional infrastructure and more ahead of budget

In a statement provided by the Calgary Board of Education (CBE), the board called the announcement positive, saying that both the Premier and education minister have heard their concerns.

“On Monday we shared the importance of investing in CBE students for a strong Alberta. The government’s announcement is welcome news as it will begin to address some of the challenges our school board is facing. We will await further details about what specifically this means for the Calgary Board of Education in the coming weeks as we work to deliver a balanced budget by the end of May,” the statement reads.

In advance of Budget 2026, Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) Trustees met with MLAs from Calgary, Airdrie, Chestermere and Cochrane to share the priorities and realities facing district schools. District advocacy focused on thing like sustainable funding, additional infrastructure and supports to address increasing classroom complexity.

“Adequate funding is foundational. Alberta’s per-student funding remains among the lowest in Canada and has not kept pace with enrolment growth, inflation and rising student needs. We continue to advocate for sustainable funding that allows us to support student success,” a CCSD-issued statement reads.

“Infrastructure remains urgent. With many of our schools at or near capacity, we are advocating to ensure that newly approved school projects proceed without delay, so growing communities have access to Catholic education close to home. We are also calling for continued investment in classroom complexity. Approximately one in three CCSD students requires additional supports. Targeted funding and resources are essential to ensure students receive the supports they need to thrive.”