EDMONTON — Advocacy organizations Public Interest Alberta (PIA) and Support Our Students (SOS) are calling on the Alberta government to reinvest in public education, ensuring every child has access to high-quality learning opportunities. The UCP government’s funding of elite private and charter schools is jeopardizing the future of Alberta’s public schools, leaving classrooms overcrowded and resources stretched thin.

"Public education is great because it’s open to every child, regardless of income or background, while private and charter schools consistently deny access," said Bradley Lafortune, Executive Director of Public Interest Alberta. "Public dollars must go to public schools—institutions that uphold equality and accessibility for all.”

Alberta is the province that spends the least on public education in Canada. Despite being a cornerstone of democracy, public education in Alberta is consistently underfunded, while private schools continue to receive significant public subsidies. Alberta allocates 70% of per-student instructional grants to private schools—one of the highest rates in Canada. These subsidies divert essential resources from public schools, undermining their ability to serve the growing and diverse needs of students. Alberta is also now the only province using public funds to build private schools.

PIA & SOS are teaming up together to urge the Alberta government to:

  • Redirect public funds currently subsidizing private and charter education back to the public system.
  • Legislate appropriate class sizes to improve learning outcomes.
  • Recruit, train, and retain more teachers and support staff to meet student needs.
  • Ensure the $8.6 billion school construction plan uses funds exclusively to build more public schools accessible to every student in growing communities. s.

“Supporting public education isn’t just the fair choice—it’s essential for building a strong, equitable society. It’s time to reclaim public funds only for public schools, and reclaim public education accessible for all,” said Wing Li, Communications Director for Support Our Students.

Albertans are invited to join the movement for stronger public education. Visit www.pialberta.org/publicfunds4publiced to sign the action and access fact sheets highlighting the state of education in Alberta.