May. 31, 2023
The Board of Trustees approved the
2021-24 Education Plan and
2023-24 budget at its May 30 regular board meeting.
“The Education Plan and budget are two of the CBE’s most important guiding documents,” said Laura Hack, chair of the Board of Trustees. “The Education Plan sets out areas of focus based on the Board’s priorities of student achievement, equity and well-being, while the budget allocates funding to ensure the best outcomes for students.”
2021–24 Education Plan
The CBE is in the third and final year of the 2021-24 Education Plan. Each year the plan is reviewed and refinements are made to advance our goal of student success. The plan continues to reflect the priorities identified by the Board of Trustees: achievement, equity and well-being. Student, staff and parent perspectives also inform the development of the education plan. This year, this included teacher focus groups and feedback provided on a system-wide parent survey. The results of the parent survey are
available here.
Over the past few years, supporting frameworks in literacy, mathematics, Indigenous Education holistic lifelong learning and student well-being have been developed to support the goals and key outcomes of the Education Plan. These four frameworks are woven throughout the system to help guide teaching and learning, and to ultimately support success for all learners, educators and administration.
To learn more about each framework, click below:
Student Achieve Excellence in Mathematics
Students Achieve Excellence in Literacy
Students who self-identify as Indigenous are supported to experience improved achievement and well-being
Students access learning opportunities and supports that address their diverse learning needs and well-being
Budget 2023-24
The $1.5 billion budget has been designed to support the educational experiences of a projected student enrolment of more than 138,000 students in schools and unique settings across the city next year.
“We appreciate the increased funding for next year,” said Chair Hack. “From rising enrolment and increased student complexity to the real costs of keeping schools running in a period of high inflation, the increased funding will be allocated in the best interests of students. Increased investment must continue to ensure CBE students are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.”
Highlights from the 2023-24 budget include increases in the following areas:
*The Transportation grant in the funding profile assumes new model implementation. The above reflects increase in the Transportation grant based on the implementation of the new model.
These increases will mean:
Hiring more Classroom Support
Total enrolment is forecast to increase by about 13,000 students over last
year and this coming school year. Increased funding will enable CBE to hire more teachers, education assistants and other staff to directly support students.
Supports for Student Health and Well-Being
Additional province-wide funding has been earmarked for student well-being supports. These include mental health school pilots, learning loss support and access to specialized assessments.
Addressing Complexity
A new grant will flow more dollars to supports for students with complex learning needs. This means opening up 21 new system classes, hiring more speech language pathologists, supporting early intervention and providing additional ELL supports.
Continuing to implement New K-6 curriculum
CBE will be spending $5.7 million next year to implement new curriculum in English Language Arts and literature, Mathematics, Science and French Immersion Language Arts and Literature.
Student Transportation
All families will see fee reductions in the 2023-24 school year as more funds have been made available to support transportation costs.
The budget will be submitted to Alberta Education to meet the May 31 deadline.
