Alberta plans to hire more education assistants, but no word on getting others back to work

Public education will get more money as part of budget 2025, but striking educational support workers say it's not enough. CTV News Edmonton's Evan Kenny report

The Alberta government is increasing funding to train and hire educational assistants, though it remains unclear how those on the picket lines will be lured back to work.

Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner on Thursday introduced the budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, forecasting a deficit of $5.2 billion on revenues of $74.1 billion. They come after a surplus of $4.6 billion last year on revenue of $80.7 billion.

During the announcement, the province said it will spend $185 million to hire more than 4,000 new education staff – including education assistants.

Funding for classroom complexity was increased by 20 per cent, the province said, to $55 million to be spent in part on training and hiring educational assistants and specialists.

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It did not say how it might address those specialized workers who remain on strike alongside thousands of other Alberta education support staff, with Edmonton workers approaching their second month on the picket line.

“How can you hire people if you don’t pay them enough,” said Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Alberta president Rory Gill.

“Before the strikes began we had vacancy rates of up to 10 per cent in some of the school divisions because the wages were so low.

“They can talk about hiring a million people if they want, but unless the wages are there no one is going to take these jobs.”

CUPE Local 3550, which represents workers with Edmonton Public Schools, said the average education support worker earns $34,500 each year.

The union has said the current 2.75-per-cent raise being offered, in line with a provincial wage cap, would not be enough to give workers a living wage amid increased costs of living.

On Thursday, the province said money within the increased $4-billion contingency fund would cover current collective bargaining efforts in the province, but no details were given on what that will mean for negotiations for educational support staff.

“When it comes to CUPE-specific negotiations, we’re supporting the school divisions that are asking for that support,” Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner said.

“We’ll be at the table, and if unions want to push their members to other action, we will deal with it, but it’s not something we’re looking for.”

A large crowd of CUPE workers gathered outside the Alberta legislature ahead of the budget announcement to demand the province participate in bargaining.

The province has maintained that negotiations are between the school boards and the unions, but Horner said Thursday that, in his opinion, “deals going forward are going to be extremely fair.”

Unless those deals include living wages, Gill said the strikes will continue.

“If the stand, and the bravery and the courage of our members has moved them, then I would feel really good about that. But again, until we see some actual bargaining, some actual free and fair bargaining at the table, we’re not going to believe it,” he said.

Funding formula

Changes are coming to the funding formula for Alberta schools this year.

The province said it is moving to a two-year adjusted average as opposed to the previous three-year weighted moving average.

The move will increase funding for growing school authorities while protecting others from extreme funding cuts during falling enrollment.

Horner said the current year’s enrollment will account for 30 per cent of the average, with the next year’s projection accounting for 70 per cent.

The Edmonton Public Schools Board (EPSB) said it welcomes the change.

“The Board of Trustees has advocated for an increase to the overall provincial education budget and a change to the weighted moving average funding formula,” EPSB said in a statement.

“This funding will be essential to support the instructional needs of the 5,000 additional students we welcome in September 2025.”

The total operating budget announced Thursday for Kindergarten to Grade 12 was $9.88 billion, an increase of 4.5 per cent from last year.

On Wednesday, the Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) said anything less than $11.3 billion for public education would equate a cut.

ATA president Jason Schilling issued a statement after the budget was released, saying “Alberta’s schools deserve better.”

“Budget 2025 fails to meet the funding required to address the needs we have repeatedly outlined as plaguing Alberta’s public education system,” Schilling said. “This government has shortchanged Alberta’s students by $910 million … even more unacceptable is the increased funding of private schools. Public dollars belong in public classrooms.”

Private and charter schools will see around a 15-per-cent bump in funding, something the province said is needed to address a 7.7-per-cent increase in enrollment.

The province said that will bring the total expense for independent schools to just under five per cent of education spending for 7.2 per cent of the total student population.

To cover some costs, the provincial education tax will be reinstated this year after being frozen and will increase from $2.56/$1,000 of assessed residential and farmland value to $2.72/$1,000.

The tax will cover 31.6 per cent of education funding and is estimated to cost the average Edmonton homeowner about $92 per year based on the median home price.

Horner said it will be increased again next year to cover 33 per cent of education costs and then “hold fast.”