Alberta Petition: Cuts to Private School Funding Loom

CALGARY, AB — A citizen-led petition demanding Alberta cut off the public funding tap to private schools hits its deadline tomorrow, and the numbers tell a story the province won't want to hear.

The "Alberta Funds Public Schools" initiative needs 177,732 verified signatures by February 11 to force the Legislature's hand. If it clears that bar, MLAs will have to decide: draft a policy proposal or send the question straight to a public referendum. Either way, Premier Danielle Smith and Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides will be staring down a political firestorm.

The Money on the Table

Here's what's at stake: Alberta is set to funnel $461 million to accredited private schools and early childhood operators this fiscal year—just under five percent of the province's $9.8 billion K-12 operating budget. That figure jumps to $506 million next year and $544 million the year after. Alberta bankrolls private schools at 70% of the per-student rate public schools receive, the richest subsidy arrangement in the country.

Last year, the government sweetened the pot even further, opening capital funding—money for buildings and infrastructure—to private schools for the first time through the "Alberta New School Accelerator Program."

The Friction Point

The petition was born in the middle of a province-wide teachers' strike last October, when thousands marched against funding shortfalls and classroom overcrowding. Calgary high school chemistry teacher Alicia Taylor filed the initiative with Elections Alberta on October 14, kicking off a 120-day signature sprint. The timing wasn't subtle.

Supporters—including the Alberta Teachers' Association (President Jason Schilling) and the Alberta School Councils' Association (Vice-President Meagan Parisian)—argue that diverting the $461 million back into public schools would ease the chronic budget squeeze. Volunteers like Nancy Beasley Hosker and Todd Tanasichuk have been collecting signatures across the province, riding a wave of frustration that crested during the strike.

On the other side, John Jagersma of the Alberta Association of Independent Schools and Colleges insists private schools relieve pressure on the public system and serve kids with specialized learning needs. Minister Nicolaides has warned that yanking funding would "escalate the pressure faced by the province's strained public school system," arguing that returning students to public classrooms would cost at least $5,000 per head.

The Public Weighs In

A Think HQ poll from early November showed 59% of Alberta adults—69% among decided voters—would back ending private school funding if it went to a referendum. That's a clear majority, and it tracks with the anger that erupted during the teachers' strike.

The clash comes down to this: Is Alberta's half-billion-dollar investment in private education a smart hedge that preserves choice, or a subsidy that drains resources from a public system already running on fumes?

What Happens Next

Elections Alberta will verify the submitted signatures after tomorrow's deadline. If the petition clears the threshold, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly receives the file, and MLAs decide whether to craft legislation or trigger a province-wide vote. Smith and Nicolaides have stayed quiet on their response strategy, but the poll numbers—and the calendar—aren't on their side.

The deadline is tomorrow.