More cash is coming for complex classrooms in Alberta, including dozens more teams for junior and senior high schools in Calgary.

Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides made the $100 million announcement in Calgary on June 29, promising the cash for 221 new complexity teams, with 158 of those going to Grades 7 to 12.

Of the $100 million, $75 million will be directed to additional complexity teams and $25 million for added supports.

Nicolaides said that Alberta schools have welcomed an additional 90,000 students over the past four years.

“This large influx has created pressures on schools and teachers as they work to provide a world-class education,” he said during the news conference.

“Now we have heard loud and clear that more support is needed in our classrooms, and today I’m here to say that more support is on the way.”

An initial investment was announced in February of this year, with 476 complexity teams funded at that time. Each complexity team in K-6 consists of one teacher and two educational assistants. Teams in Grades 7 to 12 have one teacher and one educational assistant, according to the province.

Both of Calgary’s school board chairs were at the announcement, with Calgary Board of Education chair Laura Hack saying that this spring, the CBE already deployed complexity teams to 118 city public schools.

She said that the board has consistently told the province that funding has to reflect the reality of today’s classrooms.

“This strengthens classroom teachers’ capacity to build meaningful relationships, deliver high-quality instruction, and differentiate learning to meet the diverse needs for all students,” she said.

Hack said more than 400 teachers and 215 education assistants were hired. They will continue hiring through the summer and into the fall, she said.

“This funding builds on work already underway in our schools through the province’s investment in classroom complexity and class size,” Hack said.

Lori Iovinelli, board chair with the Calgary Catholic School District, said that classroom complexity has become one of the most significant challenges facing public education today.

“Our classrooms are welcoming students with increased diverse academic, behavioral, social, emotional, and mental health needs,” she said.  

“Supporting those students requires more than compassion. It requires meaningful and sustained investment.”

Freeing teachers up to make an impact: Iovinelli

Iovinelli recounted a story of one teacher who told her that because of the additional classroom supports, she was able to pursue an opportunity for one of her students with cerebral palsy.

As a result of that effort, the teacher was able to secure the student a spot in the Dreams Take Flight program, offering the child a trip to Disneyland.

“That story reminds us that these investments are about far more than dollars and staffing,” she said.  

“They create the space for extraordinary moments of care, advocacy, and possibility. They allow educators to do what they are called to do, to see the unique gifts in every child and help those gifts flourish.”

Alberta Teachers Association president Jason Schilling issued a statement on the province’s announcement, saying that any time an investment is made, recognizing the realities of class size and complexity, it’s an important step forward.

“The challenge now is to actually get teachers in front of students,” Schilling said.

“With the school year drawing to a close, school divisions will need to move quickly to recruit and place these new staff so students and teachers see meaningful support when classrooms reopen in the fall.”

He said the success of Monday’s announcement would be realized when qualified teachers are in schools in September.

The Alberta NDP’s Shadow Minister for Education, Amanda Chapman, said that the UCP has ignored educators’ warnings for years, ultimately leading to last year’s teachers’ strike.

“If the UCP had built enough schools and hired enough teachers years ago, they wouldn’t have to rush these complexity teams onto the scene now,” she said.

“The government’s own data shows over 67,000 classrooms are struggling with complexity. An additional 221 complexity teams will not address the systemic issues facing Alberta’s education system.”