Alberta government paying $26M for construction projects at 5 independent schools - CBC
A 2014 file photo of an empty hallway at a school. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)Social SharingAlberta’s education minister says demand far exceeded the dollars he has available for a pilot project that funds independent school construction.
Six construction projects at five independent schools across the province will receive $25.8 million in funding from the government’s independent school capital program, Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said in an interview on Monday.
“This is a really extraordinary time in Alberta education history, and that causes us to have to take extraordinary steps,” Nicolaides said.
The grants are part of a three-year, $90-million provincial commitment to help pay part of the cost of private school construction. The program is a provincial first — independent schools in Alberta have previously borne all of their own capital costs.
The program will pay a third of the cost, up to a cap of $10 million per project, of the six school expansions or builds.
Demetrios Nicolaides is Alberta's minister of education and childcare. (CBC)
Alberta’s student population grew by about 12 per cent between 2021 and 2025, adding 90,000 students to all school systems. Provincial data shows independent school enrolment grew about 27 per cent over the same time frame, reaching 49,884 students tallied in private elementary, junior high and high school programs last school year.
Nicolaides said 35 independent school authorities applied for the construction grant for 40 different projects. The total request was for $182 million.
The minister said the demand reflects the growth those schools have experienced. He said projects that were ready to build, cost efficient, created more student spaces or served students with exceptional needs were prioritized in funding decisions.
Nicolaides said the six projects will add a cumulative 3,500 student spaces. He did not immediately have a timeline for when all construction projects would be complete.
The private school construction projects are part of a larger provincial commitment to spend $8.6 billion by 2032 adding 90 more schools and modernizing or replacing another 24.
Some education advocates say public school construction is proceeding too slowly, with many projects still in the planning or design phases.
John Jagersma, executive director of the Association for Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta, said in a statement that demand for independent schools, especially faith-based ones, are on the rise.
"Student numbers are growing rapidly, and our schools are experiencing that exact same pressure," he said.
"Many independent schools have long waitlists and are facing incredible demand to expand."
Jagersma also said the projects could loosen up the enrolment burden on public schools.
"These projects can help absorb enrolment growth that would otherwise add to demand for public school spaces," he said.
"These student spaces are added at only a fractional cost to government, and the students who attend these schools only receive partial government funding, thereby providing savings that can be reinvested into the overall education system."
While Alberta's United Conservative government has financially and ideologically supported increasing school choices for students, many supporters of the public school system are frustrated by the government directing public funding to schools only some children can access.
“The private system should pay for itself as it does in other provinces,” Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling said in an interview.
He said Alberta is an outlier in Canada for its high level of operational and capital public funding for independent schools.
Jason Schilling is president of the Alberta Teachers' Association. (Kevin Sabiston/CBC)
Schilling said the provincial government didn’t plan for — or respond quickly enough — to rapid enrolment growth across Alberta. That lag has left many public, Catholic and francophone schools overwhelmed, he said, which makes a diversion of dollars away from the public system more aggravating.
Wing Li, communications director for the advocacy group Support Our Students Alberta, said independent school authorities can pick and choose which students attend, while public school divisions cannot.
Many independent schools have lengthy waitlists.
“It's egregious really to hear a significant amount of money going to private institutions, but also without transparency or accountability,” Li said in an interview.
Although the upfront cost is cheaper for the government to create a school space in a private institution, Li said there is no guarantee of how long that school will stay in operation, or what happens to the building if the organization running the school closes down.
Li thinks public school divisions, which have a greater economy of scale, are a more efficient use of public education funding.
Nicolaides said the government will also accept independent school construction funding applications in 2027 and 2028.
He said any projects that were unsuccessful this year can try applying again. He doesn't know the fate of the program beyond 2028.
Janet French covers the Alberta Legislature for CBC Edmonton. She previously spent 15 years working at newspapers, including the Edmonton Journal and Saskatoon StarPhoenix. You can reach her at janet.french@cbc.ca.
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