Alberta losing 250 teachers next school year as enrolment rises, union says

The Alberta Teacher’s Association says nearly one third of school divisions in the province will have less teachers next school year, even as the number of students rises.

The union, which represents 46,000 educators in the province, says it completed a scan of publicly available school board budgets for 2024-25, and found that 250 teaching positions are being eliminated.

“We cannot be cutting staff in growing school divisions when schools provincewide are expecting to receive 26,000 additional students next year,” ATA president Jason Schilling said. “The government made an election promise to hire 3,000 new education workers over the next three years; cutting teaching positions now fails our students and their learning.”

Schilling claims this stems from “significant and systemic” underfunding of public education, particularly, funding based on the weighted moving average. The ATA explains the weighted moving average means that new students aren’t fully funded until their third year of enrolment, which leaves many students in growing school divisions without adequate funding.

Furthermore, the organization claims 17 of the school boards set to cut teaching positions are expected to see an increase in students in the upcoming school year. This includes schools in Red Deer, St. Albert, Morinville, Medicine Hat, Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan, Camrose, Grande Prairie, Leduc, and Beaumont.

Schilling says Alberta spends the least amount of money on public education in the country and also has the highest ratio of students to teachers.

“This is why we have large classes and students struggling without the support and guidance they need for success,” he said. “As it sits, next year will only get worse. Even school divisions that are hiring teachers are not funded adequately to hire the full number of teachers needed.”

CityNews660 has reached out to the province for comment.

-With files from Lisa Grant