ANALYSIS | Alberta Invests in School Construction: Can BC Make the Same Promises?

Photo Credit: Brent Calver/Postmedia

Amidst concerns about student space, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced on Sept. 17 a $6.7 billion increase in funding for new and improved schools. While Smith says the projects will secure funding from recent surpluses, critics say the plans are long overdue and could create additional issues.

The investment aims to provide around 50,000 new student spaces over the next three years, Smith says. However, an undetermined amount of funds will go to the Charter School Accelerator Program, which plans to add 12,500 new charter spaces over the next four years. According to CBC News, the province hopes to nearly double the number of students enrolled in charter schools.

Charter schools function similarly to public schools, in that they receive the same funding and resources from the ministry, however, according to the province’s website, they are governed by non-profit boards, typically elected by parents. 

Recently, schools have faced difficulty with new construction, due to the lengthy project approval process. Alberta’s current construction approval system for schools was created in response to a 2016 auditor general report that found previous governments’ promises of new school construction could not be completed on time or within budget, according to CBC News.

Smith believes the process of schools developing project plans is the only factor delaying school construction. With her new strategy and abundance of funding, the process of approving construction funding will be fundamentally changed, she says. 

In recent years, Alberta has seen rapid population growth due to low taxes and an abundance of jobs which has left the province struggling to keep up with the rapid increase in student population, Smith explained. 

Since Alberta’s population is projected to continue to grow in the coming years, the province hopes that these measures will allow students to have abundant learning spaces without further strain on the economy.

In spite of the province's proposed changes, some schools have already had to adapt to the strained space. According to the Calgary Herald, Alberta’s new implementations are “too little too late” for school boards that have dealt with the challenges of surplus student enrolment for years. 

For years, schools have warned the government of the lack of spaces to accommodate the increasing number of students. Provincial statistics show that pre-kindergarten to Grade 12 student enrollment increased by around 9 per cent in the four-year period ending September 2023. The province saw 57,000 new students, and an additional 9,000 home-schooled students. 

Staffing new classrooms with teachers and support staff is another challenge facing the province. The Alberta Teachers’ Association told CTV News that while changes are being made to school construction, the province should also start considering proper student resource investments and teacher employment. 

“We can’t educate students in classrooms with no teachers,” Bradley Lafortune, Executive Director of Public Interest Alberta, told CTV News. “It is ridiculous for the premier to talk about 150,000 new student spaces without talking about a single new teacher, educational assistant, or other support staff positions.” 

BC, unlike its neighbouring province, is taking a different approach to school construction, which critics say is doing little to nothing, CBC News reports. According to the province’s website, the government has approved $4.9 billion for new schools and land purchases since 2017. 

This created over 25,000 new student spaces and 35,000 seismically safer spaces in BC schools. Budget 2024 allocates $3.75 billion for school capital projects in the next three years, including new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades, and school land purchases. 

However, critics say BC’s plans aren’t enough to accommodate the growing student population. In a resolution addressed to the Minister of Education, the BC School Trustees Association (BCSTA) stressed that schools face many issues when it comes to accommodating the growing number of students. 

To address these concerns, BC has, in the past, adopted portable classrooms which many teachers have found to lack essential facilities and a proper learning environment for students. 

In a BCSTA report prepared for the Ministry, the association proposes the province invest $1.5 billion annually into school facilities, which would cover the costs of new schools, additions, and land acquisition, building 1900 classrooms by 2031. 

The province has doubled the money invested in school construction, only one-third of the required amount to address the needs of districts, as outlined by the report.