Feb. 23, 2026
The following statement is shared on behalf of the Calgary Board of Education Board of Trustees
Later this week the province will be releasing Budget 2026. Government has already signaled that the provincial budget will reflect the realities of a difficult fiscal environment.
We want CBE students to be successful and for our province to be a leader in education. Consecutive CBE Boards have advocated for funding to keep pace with rising costs and program supports to meet the needs of all students. We have heard consistently from staff and families about the continued growing needs in our schools. We remain hopeful that government will increase its investment in public education in Budget 2026.
In September we shared our 2026-27 budget priorities with Minister of Education and Childcare Demetrios Nicolaides. At that time, we asked for an increase of $148M to CBE’s funding. This injection of funding would have a positive impact on supporting complexity and improving outcomes for all students. For example, $50M would provide each CBE school roughly $200,000 more – or enough to hire one teacher and two education assistants.
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. But as complexity continues to grow, the cost of supporting students with specialized learning needs is rising faster than provincial funding.
We also look forward to receiving more schools in Budget 2026 so generations of students can attend a school closer to their home and avoid long bus rides. We appreciate the government fast tracking new schools through the Schools Now program. As our city continually develops new communities, the long-term need for new schools remains. In addition to the 14 schools that have been approved, we urgently need 16 more new schools to ensure families have access to schools close to home.
We hold high expectations for our students, and our families expect the same from the CBE. We educate one in six students in Alberta and each of them deserve a world-class learning experience.
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.
Background
CBE Classrooms are becoming increasingly complex.
As complexity grows, the cost of supporting students with specialized learning needs is rising faster than provincial funding. Increasing CBE’s funding by $148 million will have a positive impact on class sizes and improve outcomes for all students. There is an ongoing need for funding to support the complex needs of students across the system.
- Over the past four years, the number of students with special education needs has grown to approximately 27,500. This means about 1 in 5 or 19% of students need additional support. Of those, about 3,800 students have significant special needs. The CBE spends an additional $50 million than it receives in targeted funding to support these students in one of our nearly 300 specialized classes and six unique settings.
- About 44,000 or 31% of students are learning English as an Additional Language (EAL). This puts the number of EAL students in the CBE nearly 18 percentage points higher than the rest of the province.
- For years, the CBE has offered supports and programming for EAL students specifically designed to help them be successful in their learning. This includes intense language instruction and support classes, called LEAD (Literacy, English and Academic Development). There are also other services in the CBE which provide help and support for immigrant families, including interpretation services and diversity and learning support advisors.
CBE schools are full.
Over the past three years, we have welcomed more than 17,000 additional students – enough to fill about 30 elementary schools. Currently, our system utilization rate is 95%. Approximately 70% (or 166 schools) are full or over capacity. Our high schools are at an average of 107% capacity.
When the student population increases, school leaders look to make the best use of other spaces such as learning commons, stages and music rooms for classroom space. This means less flexibility in programming is available.
When a school reaches capacity, new registrations are capped and students who live in the community must be overflowed to another school in a different community with available space. When schools are in overflow, more students require transportation and bus rides become longer. The CBE currently has 31 regular program schools in overflow. A number of these schools are overflowing to multiple receiver schools as they too reach capacity.
The CBE has one middle school currently under construction in the community of Evanston that will open for the 2026-27 school year. We’ve also received provincial approval for the planning, design or construction of an additional 14 new schools to help manage enrolment pressure in the fastest growing areas of Calgary.
In March 2025, the Board of Trustees requested an additional 16 new schools from the province, as well as one addition, one modernization and one replacement school. An additional request for a replacement school was made in October 2025.
More than 27,000 CBE students take transportation to school every day. This number has increased with the need to provide transportation to new communities that do not have a school, and to transport students to overflow schools.
Transportation funding does not reflect the cost of providing the service to families. Right now, 61% of our transportation budget is allocated to transporting students with complex learning needs (CLN). The provincial transportation grant provides $13M for CLN transportation, but the actual costs are closer to $31M.
Increasing CBE’s transportation funding by $18M will improve affordability for the over 27,000 students that are transported to school. We are hopeful that Budget 2026 will address the transportation funding model for large metro school boards and fully fund the cost of transportation.
Learn more |
www.cbe.ab.ca/boardadvocacy
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