Additional $180 million for education in Alberta
The Government of Alberta is investing an additional $180 million in our education system, bringing total government support for education in the 2006-07 fiscal year to almost $5.5 billion. School boards will benefit from an additional $61 million in operating support to classrooms and $119 million for school upgrades and renovations.
School boards indicated that they faced challenges in preparing their 2006/2007 school year budgets. With an unanticipated surplus in government's general revenues for the 2005/2006 fiscal year, additional dollars will be provided to address these challenges.
Highlights of this funding include an increase for classroom supports through the Renewed Funding Framework, additional funding for school maintenance and upgrades, and increased support to restore and augment funding for the commitment to implement the Class Size Initiative within three years.
Classroom supports:
- Per-student base instruction grant rates increase by 1% for a total increase of 4%. This increases the base instruction grant rate from $5,087 per student in 2005/2006 to $5,291 per student in the 2006/2007 school year.
- A 4% increase to funding for severe disabilities to accommodate an increase in the number of students eligible for support. This is in addition to the 2% grant rate increase announced in Budget 2006 and provides all boards with a total 6% increase in funding this September for students with severe disabilities.
- $2.5 million increase to extend English as a Second Language Funding eligibility beyond the current five year funding cap.
- Funding for the Class Size Initiative increases another $28 million, for a total of $154.3 million this fiscal year, to help boards achieve the Alberta's Commission on Learning guidelines in all grade groupings this coming school year. This support will restore the full funding for the third year of the Class Size Initiative plus provide additional support to accommodate updated class size data and increased average teacher salary costs. Total Government commitment over three fiscal years now totals $322 million.
- Plant Operations and Maintenance (PO&M) funding increases by an additional $9 million to $404 million for the 2006/2007 fiscal year. Additional funding will address changing enrollment patterns and increases in maintenance costs.
School Infrastructure:
Infrastructure And Maintenance Renewal funding will also increase by $119 million to $200 million this fiscal year. This will allow boards to maintain their school facilities to ensure that students' learning environments remain safe and healthy.
Alberta Education will be working with school jurisdictions over the summer to adjust their operating budgets and further details on this additional funding will be provided to your school Superintendents.
