In Alberta’s ongoing teachers’ strike, a significant concern revolves around class sizes, with challenges in accurately determining the extent of class size increases due to the lack of specific data collection by the province. Previously, Alberta would annually release comprehensive class size data for over 1,500 schools, but this practice was discontinued by the newly elected UCP government in 2019.
In addition to halting class size data publication, the government altered the funding formula for school boards from an annual basis tied to enrollment growth to a three-year “weighted moving average” (WMA) model, which drew criticism from larger school boards in rapidly expanding urban areas.
The implementation of the new funding formula coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a temporary decline in enrollment followed by a surge. Nevertheless, the use of past enrollment figures in the WMA calculations resulted in reduced funding for many school boards compared to the previous formula.
Despite ongoing complaints about the funding model, the impact on class sizes remains challenging to measure since the province ceased collecting class size data before the formula change. However, by analyzing the growth of teaching staff compared to student enrollment since the formula alteration, it is evident that the gap between them has widened over time.
To address these issues, the government introduced a new two-year weighted average funding formula in the 2025-26 budget, aiming to provide more responsive funding to schools. While this change marks a positive step, the Alberta Teachers’ Association advocates for further action to address teacher shortages and class size concerns based on recommendations from a provincial report.
While detailed class size reporting was discontinued in 2019, some school districts continue to track this data, revealing that class sizes often exceed recommended levels. Experts emphasize the importance of transparent data collection and public disclosure in a democratic society to monitor performance indicators like student-teacher ratios.
