In a move that has sparked both celebration and concern across Calgary, Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced the construction of four new schools in the city’s rapidly expanding communities. The announcement comes at a critical juncture as the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) grapples with a significant budget shortfall, raising questions about how these new educational facilities will be adequately funded and maintained.
“These new schools represent our government’s commitment to ensuring Alberta students have access to modern learning environments,” Nicolaides declared during Thursday’s press conference at the site of a future elementary school in the southeast community of Belmont. “We recognize the tremendous growth pressures facing Calgary and are responding with concrete action.”
The four approved projects include two elementary schools slated for the communities of Belmont and Nolan Hill, alongside middle schools planned for Cornerstone and Redstone. Together, these institutions will accommodate approximately 2,900 students when completed—a welcome relief for areas experiencing significant population growth and overcrowded classrooms.
However, the CBE’s financial reality casts a shadow over this otherwise positive development. Last month, board trustees approved a budget featuring a $55 million operating deficit, highlighting the increasing financial strain on Calgary’s largest school district. This shortfall follows years of what education advocates describe as chronic underfunding relative to inflation and student population growth.
“While we’re certainly grateful for new school construction, we’re simultaneously concerned about our ability to properly staff and maintain these facilities,” explained Laura Hack, CBE board chair, in a statement to CO24 News. “Building schools solves one problem but creates another if operational funding doesn’t follow.”
The CBE’s current financial challenges have already forced difficult decisions, including increased transportation fees and reduced classroom support positions. Administrators warn that without additional operational funding, these new schools could further strain an already stretched system.
The funding disconnect highlights a broader issue within Canadian education policy, where capital announcements often receive greater attention than the ongoing operational requirements of running effective educational institutions. Education experts note that while ribbon-cutting ceremonies make for good political optics, the day-to-day work of education requires consistent and adequate funding.
Parents in the affected communities express mixed emotions. Amanda Reeves, a mother of three in Belmont, told me, “We’ve been waiting years for a local school. But I worry about what kind of educational experience will be available if the schools are underfunded from day one.”
The provincial government maintains that operational funding for education has increased overall, with Nicolaides pointing to a $2 billion investment in school infrastructure across Alberta. Critics counter that when adjusted for inflation and enrollment growth, per-student funding has effectively decreased in recent years.
The CBE’s budget constraints also reflect broader economic pressures facing Alberta’s public services. School boards across the province have reported similar challenges balancing budgets while maintaining educational quality and responding to increasingly diverse student needs.
As Calgary continues to expand outward with new suburban communities, the tension between capital expansion and operational sustainability raises important questions about the future of public education in Alberta’s largest city. The province projects that these new schools will welcome students by 2027, but the question remains: will the resources be there to provide them with the quality education they deserve?
How will Alberta reconcile its commitment to building new educational infrastructure with the financial reality facing school boards tasked with operating them—and what will this mean for the next generation of Calgary students?
