"I'd call it a hold the line budget. For which we're grateful. It was a deficit budget and a lot of other areas did see reduction, but the government has committed to education, and we're very pleased to see that."
That's what John Allen, chair of the St. Albert Public Schools board, had to say about the province's 2025 budget. And although he won't have numbers specific to St. Albert until the division gets their funding plan later in March, he pointed out that some of the funding moves from the province are a step in the right direction.
He said he was pleased to see a moderate increase to the operations and maintenance budget by about three per cent, to $806 million, up from $781 million in the 2024-25 forecast. Allen called it a step in the right direction.
He was also happy that the province committed to their previously-announced School Construction Accelerator Program (SCAP).
"Of course, there are no schools for St. Albert which we are going to continue to advocate for. I'm hopeful that the big middle school, our number one priority, will get some funding," Allen said, referring to the planned K-9 school in the Chérot neighbourhood.
$150 million was set aside for modular classrooms. St. Albert has a number of old modulars, and Allen said that the number of modulars they request replacement for continuously goes up. One modular at Ronald Harvey Elementary School is going to be 50 years old soon.
"We don't have any idea what we'll do with modulars for St. Albert. We hope they'll look at our list and say 'Boy, it'd make more sense to build a school, wouldn't it?'" he said.
He also said there is no increase to the basic instructional grant, which Allen said was "how much money you get based almost entirely on how many students you have."
"Not increasing that means that Alberta does still spend less per student than any other province."
The province did change the funding formula to be based on two years of enrolment date, instead of three years to be more responsive to high growth. Allen also called this a step in the right direction "for divisions like ours which are continuously in growth."
With the change to the funding formula, Allen said that the province also removed the Supplemental Enrolment Growth Grant, which provided additional per-student funding for authority enrolment growth based on either incremental growth or enrolment thresholds.
He said that for St. Albert, this brought about one per cent more in funding that helped offset issues with the previous funding formula.
"So they've changed the funding method which will help, but doesn't fix everything. And they've simultaneously removed about $1 million dollars of supplemental funding. From our perspective it seems like a wash," he said.
A total of $1.6 billion is budgeted in 2025-26 for vulnerable students with specialized learning needs, including funding for English as an Additional Language, refugee students, and First Nations, Métis and Inuit students. Allen said that his estimate for St. Albert's allocation came to about two to two and a half per cent.
"Again, can I call it more than a wash? Because the cost uncertainty and inflation will make it more difficult to maintain or enhance those areas, but the division is committed to it," he said.
Funding in these areas would allow St. Albert Public Schools to get more educational assistants and supports for students with more complex needs.
"So a little bit more money in there is a good thing."
Overall, Allen reiterated that the budget generally holds the line on education funding. He waits to see more detail on what the funding decisions mean for St. Albert when the funding plan for the division is released, likely later this month.
"Money has not fallen from the sky for St. Albert Public Schools, but the budget in general, doesn't hurt," he said.
The Gazette reached out to Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools for comment. Communications Manager Shanlyn Cunningham said in an email that they required further information before speaking specifically about education funding within the Alberta budget.
