Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announces new funding for schools on March 20, 2023. (Photo: Government of Alberta)

By Chris Brown

Province to fund more educational assistants and other school support staff

Mar 20, 2023 | 4:02 PM

EDMONTON, AB – The Government of Alberta said it is providing more than $125 million in new funding aimed at addressing increasing complexities in the classroom and learning disruptions that are persisting from the pandemic.

Education Minister Adriana LaGrange explains that the money will help alleviate some of the pressures that teachers, staff and students are feeling.

Alberta school boards will get $126 million over three years to aid students with diverse cognitive, social and emotional needs, which LaGrange said can be difficult for teachers to manage on their own.

“School authorities will be able to use the funding to hire more educational assistants, increase their hours, provide more training opportunities for staff, and/or hire specialists such as counsellors, psychologists, interpreters or even more teachers,” LaGrange said.

She said the additional support in the classroom will aid teachers so that individual students can receive the focused time and attention they need.

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According to LaGrange, the funding will support the hiring of about 3,000 educational staff over the next three years, including teachers, educational assistants, bus drivers and school support staff.

The minister did not provide a funding breakdown for each school authority, but said each division will get a base amount and then additional funds based on student enrolment.

Funding for the upcoming school year will be included in school authorities’ operational funding in September 2023.

Edmonton Public Schools is getting an additional grant of $506,000 for a pilot project for educational assistant internships. Once developed, the program will be available to all school authorities in the province to develop and retain educational assistants in classrooms.

The province is also spending an additional $20 million over the next two years help strengthen elementary students’ reading and math skills and close remaining learning gaps from pandemic-related disruptions.

READ MORE: Alberta Budget 2023 includes investments in school infrastructure

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