Since being elected in October 2025, this Board has been active, engaged, and deeply committed to advocating for the needs of Calgary Board of Education students, families, and staff. As a Board, we remain committed to listening to the families we serve. In recent weeks, trustees have connected directly with parents across the city. We have attended school council meetings, and in January more than 90 representatives from school councils across our system joined us for a Community of School Councils or COSC meeting. Trustees have also had the pleasure of attending many community and school-based events, such as Lunar New Year celebrations, open houses for schools under construction and the 25th anniversary celebration of our Spanish Bilingual Program. These conversations continue to shape our understanding of community needs and expectations.
We have met with and are continuing to connect with Members of the Legislative Assembly and City Councilors. Through those conversations, and in our recent public statements, we have emphasized that CBE students are successful and deserve a strong, well-funded public education system that reflects the expectations that Albertans have for their children’s education and meets the needs of increasingly complex classrooms. Public education is a cornerstone of a strong society and one of the most impactful investments we can make. By investing in today’s students, we are strengthening Alberta’s future.
On February 12, the government announced targeted funding to support student complexity. This additional funding will see an additional 118 teachers and 236 education assistants hired to support CBE schools. This is a positive step forward to addressing the realities we see in our classrooms every day. On February 26, the province announced Budget 2026. While we await our funding profile with more details on the specific funding we will receive, we acknowledge that government has increased its investment in public education despite a difficult fiscal environment.
CBE educates one in six students in Alberta and each of them deserve a world-class learning experience. Through our yearly budgeting, we direct as much funding as possible to the classroom and thoughtfully allocate resources to the operational areas that keep our system of 251 schools running effectively. As student needs become more intense, a greater share of resources is required to provide appropriate supports. At this point, the needs across our system exceed available funding. We appreciate the government’s efforts to fast track new schools through the Schools Now program and we were pleased to attend an announcement on Friday, February 27, where it was shared that CBE will receive: 7 new schools in the communities of Walden, Carrington, Cityscape, Kincora/Sage Hill, Mahogany, Country Hills and Legacy; a replacement school for the Kensington School site; and an addition to Joane Cardinal Schubert high school. These new projects will add 6,000 student spaces in rapidly growing areas of our city. The Board is excited that thousands of CBE students will have access to public education closer to home, and we would like to thank Minister Nicolaides for his commitment to addressing our urgent and ongoing need for more space for our students.
These new builds are the result of sustained advocacy. Established communities that have waited patiently are finally seeing action, while rapidly growing communities are receiving the schools their enrolment demands.
However, these schools are years away from opening their doors to students, and our city continually develops new communities. The long-term need for new schools remains. The Board looks forward to the presentation of the CBE’s Three Year Capital Plan at our next meeting on March 17 and further discussion of these pressures. As always, we are grateful for the continued partnership of our students, families, staff, and community members. Together, we will keep advocating for a strong public education system that ensures every student has the opportunity to thrive.
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