Alberta has introduced a new $200 million grant to hire 1,400 teachers for kindergarten to Grade 9 classrooms in the 2026-27 school year. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides unveiled the funding during a press conference on Wednesday, stating that it forms part of the $355 million allocated to class size and complexity in Budget 2026.
Funding Distribution
The grant is designed to target schools with the largest core subject classes exceeding high thresholds. Nicolaides explained that distribution will vary, as some school boards have larger class sizes than others. The goal is to bring all classes into the low or medium range. Every school division will receive a minimum of $405,000, enough to hire three teachers.
Edmonton Public Schools will receive $39.9 million to hire 296 teachers, while Edmonton Catholic Schools gets $18.9 million for 140 teachers. In Calgary, the Board of Education will receive $48.8 million for 362 teachers, and the Catholic School District will get $24.4 million for 181 teachers. These boards will receive the largest shares due to higher class sizes.
Impact on Class Sizes
Nicolaides noted that the announcement is expected to reduce the province’s calculated average class size from 25 to 22. The 1,400 teachers are part of the previously promised 1,600 teachers for this year, not an additional number. He did not specify how many teachers have been hired so far.
In February, the province allocated $143 million to create 476 complexity teams for K-6 schools with the highest complex needs. Each team includes one teacher and two educational assistants.
Government and Stakeholder Reactions
Premier Danielle Smith stated that the government has been addressing classroom strain for the past year. She mentioned that the class size and complexity cabinet committee will introduce more funding in the future, along with a new student support policy framework. Smith emphasized that they are gathering Alberta’s largest ever data set on classroom conditions.
Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling acknowledged that the announcement reflects what teachers have been advocating for. However, he expressed concerns that high schools are excluded from the $200 million funding and that the funding may not continue in future years. He stressed the need for sustained measures to address complexity and class sizes.
Alberta NDP education critic Amanda Chapman doubted the funding would make a substantial difference to existing class sizes.
