New schools to open with fewer teachers, bigger class sizes

“Jason Kenney and Adriana LaGrange have abandoned these kids and forced costs onto parents, just so they can give a $4.7 billion dollar handout to big corporations.” (File Photo: Jason Kenney/Facebook)

EDMONTON – After decimating funding for educating Alberta kids in their brutal budget, Jason Kenney and the UCP have announced that new schools will open with fewer teachers and bigger classrooms.

While 15 new school projects is good news, Budget 2019 froze funding for students, providing no extra funding for 60,000 new students arriving over the next four years. While the UCP promised to maintain spending, school boards will receive at least $200 less per student than they received last school year.

“I’m glad to see new schools, especially new high school spaces for Edmonton and Calgary. However, it’s what happens inside these schools that counts, and the UCP have chosen to increase class sizes and cut classroom supports while forcing school boards to fire teachers and raise school fees on parents,” said NDP Education Critic Sarah Hoffman.

“Jason Kenney and Adriana LaGrange have abandoned these kids and forced costs onto parents, just so they can give a $4.7 billion dollar handout to big corporations.”

At their news conference on Friday, Calgary Catholic School District Vice Chair Linda Wellman reinforced that the UCP’s new school announcement doesn’t address existing capacity issues, saying “we are getting absolutely nothing for growth to accommodate our student growth.”

Rocky View Schools recently announced it is facing a $10-million cut to its K-12 programs. As more school boards calculate the impact of the UCP’s budget cuts, many will have to turn to job cuts, with some estimates showing as many as 500 teachers could be fired in Edmonton and Calgary alone.

The UCP also cut $51 million from school maintenance and $13 million from school transportation. The UCP has told school boards to increase school fees on parents to cover for these costs.