Calgary Schools Embrace Major Budget Expansion
Public and Catholic boards secure double-digit funding increases to hire hundreds of teachers and tackle class sizes.
Calgary's two largest school districts are moving fast on ambitions that have been stalled for years. The Calgary Board of Education approved a $1.9-billion budget Wednesday—a 12 percent jump—while Calgary Catholic locked in an $854-million package with a 15 percent increase. The numbers matter because they're finally catching up.
The CBE will hire 362 new teachers to reduce class sizes starting in September, on top of 118 teachers assigned to complexity teams already rolling out across schools. Catholic is bringing on 181 new teachers plus 53 complexity teams. Both boards are grappling with rapid enrolment growth and the toll it's taken on classrooms over the past five years.
"The increase to the budget is welcome and long due," said CBE trustee Cynthia Cordova. But the pressure is real. Every school district in Alberta is hiring simultaneously, and finding enough qualified teachers won't be automatic. The CBE's finance team says they're on track for the complexity hires but acknowledged the larger push will be grueling.
The spending also reflects new realities. Transportation fees are climbing—the CBE is raising busing to $500 a year from $360, after the province cut its contribution. Catholic isn't raising fees this year, absorbing the gap from reserves instead. The CBE is opening Evanston Heights in August to relieve crowding in the northwest. Catholic is launching four schools at once: two high schools and two K-to-9 campuses. First new schools mean first-year strain on fitting them out and staffing them.
For parents, it's mostly good news. Fee-waiver programs ensure no family loses access because of cost. The budgets signal that after years of treading water, Calgary schools are finally getting room to breathe—and the people running them know they have to move fast to use it.