Twenty-four of Alberta’s school divisions will have less teachers next year, despite a significant increase in student enrolment.
A scan of publicly available school board budget reports for 2024-25 shows that province-wide, more than 250 teaching positions are being eliminated, with one board cutting over 15 per cent of its teaching staff.
“We cannot be cutting staff in growing school divisions when schools provincewide are expecting to receive 26,000 additional students next year. The government made an election promise to hire 3,000 new education workers over the next three years; cutting teaching positions now fails our students and their learning.”
—Jason Schilling, ATA president
Schilling says the problem lies with significant and systemic underfunding of public education, in particular, funding based on the weighted moving average (WMA). The effect of the WMA means that new students are not fully funded until their third year of enrolment, leaving many students in growing school divisions unfunded.
Eighteen of the school boards cutting teaching positions expect to have more students than last year, including rapidly growing communities like Red Deer, Ft McMurray, St. Albert, Morinville, Medicine Hat, Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan, Camrose, Grande Prairie, Leduc and Beaumont.
“Not only does Alberta spend the least on public education in all of Canada, but we also have the highest ratio of students to teachers in the country. This is why we have large classes and students struggling without the support and guidance they need for success. As it sits, next year will only get worse. Even school divisions that are hiring teachers are not funded adequately to hire the full number of teachers needed.”
—Jason Schilling, ATA president
The following chart lists school boards’ 2024-25 budget reports that indicate teacher cuts.
| School divisions projecting teacher position cuts (click on name to view budget report) | Budgeted cuts in teacher full time positions |
| Red Deer Catholic | -90.6 |
| Sturgeon | -43.2 |
| Fort McMurray Roman Catholic | -30.0 |
| Foothills | -13.3* |
| Elk Island Public | -12.2 |
| Buffalo Trail | -11.4 |
| St. Paul | -11.0 |
| Aspen View | -10.4 |
| Wetaskiwin | -8.7 |
| Battle River | -8.6 |
| Medicine Hat Public | -6.6 |
| St. Albert Public | -6.0 |
| Peace Wapiti | -5.3 |
| Grasslands | -4.2 |
| Livingstone Range | -4.1 |
| Pembina Hills | -4.1 |
| FrancoSud | -4.0 |
| Black Gold | -4.0 |
| Wild Rose | -3.3 |
| Fort Vermilion | -2.7 |
| High Prairie | -2.5 |
| Chinook's Edge | -2.0 |
| Northern Gateway | -1.0 |
| Westwind | -0.5 |
Bolded Divisions are budgeting for increased student enrolment.
*Estimate based on the School Division Financial report
The Alberta Teachers’ Association, as the professional organization of teachers, promotes and advances public education, supports teachers’ professional practice and serves as the advocate for its 46,000 members.