The spring sitting of the legislature ended May 14. Here are highlights of the education-related discussions that took place in question period during the sitting’s final two weeks.
Program Unit Funding, May 5
Amanda Chapman (NDP MLA for Calgary-Beddington) criticized the government’s handling of Program Unit Funding (PUF), arguing that early intervention is essential for student success and accusing the UCP government of making significant cuts to the program while denying it had done so. She asked why the government had claimed for years that PUF funding had not been cut.
Minister of Education and Childcare Demetrios Nicolaides responded by criticizing the NDP for opposing mandatory literacy and numeracy screening assessments for young students. He said the government had increased PUF funding through budgets 2025 and 2026 and expressed pride in the additional investments being made to support early intervention.
Chapman then argued that the government’s reductions to PUF funding had cut the program by more than half and said funding remained tens of millions of dollars below 2019 levels despite population growth and inflation. She asked when funding would return to 2019 levels.
Nicolaides replied that Budget 2026 included a six per cent increase to the PUF program and highlighted additional investments in literacy and reading supports. He again criticized the NDP for voting against both literacy and numeracy screening requirements and Budget 2026.
Chapman said that under the previous NDP government, early intervention funding had been strong, class sizes were smaller, classroom complexity was more manageable and educators were not engaging in job action. She argued that cuts to PUF had worsened classroom complexity and asked whether the minister would like the NDP to take over management of education.
Nicolaides rejected the suggestion and accused the former NDP government of driving Albertans out of the province, which he said contributed to smaller class sizes at the time. He concluded by stating that the government was making historic investments to address class size, classroom complexity and early intervention.
Bill 25, Members Statement, May 12
Peggy Wright (NDP MLA for Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview) made a statement critical of Bill 25 as another example of the government undermining public education and disrespecting teachers. Drawing on a classroom lesson about the lasting harm caused by hurtful words and actions, she said years of underfunding, cuts and policy decisions have damaged Alberta’s education system. Wright argued that Bill 25 fails to address real classroom issues such as class size, complexity, teacher retention and student supports, but instead increases ministerial control and signals a lack of trust in teachers. She concluded by saying that Alberta students and teachers deserve a government that repairs the damage rather than adds to it.
Teacher Recruitment and Retention, May 13
Amanda Chapman (NDP MLA for Calgary-Beddington) argued that the government’s proposals to address Alberta’s teacher shortage—such as fast-tracking tradespeople into classrooms and allowing final-year education students to teach full-time while completing their degrees—failed to address the real reasons teachers are leaving the profession, including overcrowded classrooms, inadequate support for complex learners and poor working conditions. She contended that retention, not recruitment shortcuts, was the core issue and suggested that many teachers no longer want to work under the current government.
Nicolaides defended the expedited pathways, saying that bringing individuals with industry expertise into classrooms would provide valuable real-world learning opportunities for students. He said the government’s 7.2 per cent increase to the education budget and the hiring of 476 classroom complexity teams would help school divisions meet growing demands. He also pointed to an upcoming announcement that would provide additional resources to help divisions hire more teachers.
