K-12

Total support for the Kindergarten to Grade 12 education system, including $169 million in property tax support to opted-out school boards, will be $5.3 billion, an increase of $330 million or 6.7 per cent, over the 2005-06 forecast.

Classroom supports

• $71 million for the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement for local, innovative programs and projects, including professional learning communities in schools and early literacy, math skills, and stay-in-school programs that support student learning.
• A six per cent increase to Alberta's 15 Student Health Initiative Partnerships, growing from $39.3 million to $41.7 million in 2006-07. The partnerships provide integrated health, therapy, and emotional and behavioural supports for identified children with special health needs.
• A 9.7 per cent increase in funding provided to school boards for students with special needs to $373 million. Since 2000-01, funding to school boards for ECS to Grade 12 students with special needs has increased $203 million or 120 per cent.

School facilities

Infrastructure and Maintenance Renewal grants to school boards will increase 68 per cent (from $48 million to $81 million for 2006-07) for school building upgrades.

Plant operations and maintenance support to school boards will increase by $19 million or 5.1 per cent to $395 million.

Budget 2006 — K-12 Capital Plan details

Reducing class size

The Class Size Initiative funding increases by 15.1 per cent from $110 million to $126.3 million in 2006-2007.

School boards will receive funding to retain the 1,685 new teachers hired in the last two years, and to hire additional teachers beginning this September to help those areas experiencing the greatest difficulty in meeting class size guidelines, particularly the Kindergarten to Grade 3 level.

Related story: Average class size continues to decrease (March 21, 2006)

Operating grants

Allocations to schools will increase by $194 million to $3.9 billion through a renewed funding framework that gives school boards flexibility to respond to local needs.

The base per student instruction grant rate increases by three per cent from $5,087 to $5,240.