Back to School Message from Education and Childcare Minister

Dear parents,

With the slow days of summer now behind us, I’m delighted to welcome you and your children back to school.

This year, back to school means back to more.

More teachers, more support staff and more schools.

In short, I am confident that you will find more from your government in our schools this year. I’d like to highlight three areas where we are investing more.

Classroom Complexity

Over the last four years, we welcomed more than 90,000 new students into our schools. Many came to us with diverse learning needs. To help ensure every student has the support they need, we announced the creation of new complexity teams to support students.

I am proud to report that as of today, 566 of 700 complexity teams are fully staffed and in place at schools across Alberta. These teams will support students who need a little extra help.

We’ve also invested $25 million to help rural and remote communities bring in specialized support staff.

These new teams will make a significant difference in our schools.

More Teachers

Your government is working hard to reduce class sizes and hire more teachers. I am proud to report that as of today, new funding from the Government of Alberta has helped our school boards hire more than 2,100 net new teachers and 1,044 educational assistants.

We also created the new Class Size Reduction Grant, which has allowed our schools to hire 1,090 K-9 teachers across our province.

Funding for these new teachers was made possible by a historic 7% increase in education funding in Budget 2026.

Alberta has not seen an investment of this magnitude in a single year since the days of Premier Peter Lougheed.

Building More Schools

This new school year means more schools opening their doors.

Since we launched the Schools Now Program in September 2024, 17 school projects have been completed, creating 12,000 more spaces.

Ten new school projects are opening their doors to students to start the school year. By this time next year, another 19 will be ready and open.

As a result of the Schools Now program, there are now 156 schools being built, modernized or replaced.

A Stronger Education System

This year, students will also see a more focused school system. We have taken steps to remove politics and ideology from the classroom to ensure the focus remains on reading, writing and math.

We have seen strong success with our literacy and numeracy screening, and I am proud to have announced that we will expand these screeners to students in Grades 4 and 5. This will help identify children who may need extra support earlier so they can receive help before they fall behind.

We are also continuing to work with education partners on curriculum improvements and expanding career-focused learning opportunities that allow students to explore hands-on learning and discover future career pathways while they are still in school.

Parents are the most important influence on a child's education, and keeping you informed about what is happening in our schools is something I take seriously.

Please join me on September 23 at 6 p.m. for a telephone town hall, where I will be taking your questions about education in Alberta. You can register at alberta.ca/BackToMore, where you can also learn more about what is new this school year.

Thank you for your continued support of your child's education. I wish your family a successful and rewarding school year.

Sincerely,
Demetrios Nicolaides, ECA, PhD
Minister of Education and Childcare