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III. Fair and Equitable Funding
The Government of Alberta distributes
education dollars as fairly as possible to provide all students with a quality education
wherever they live in the province. Public education is funded through provincial general
revenues and education property taxes.
Funding is allocated to school boards in
three blocks: instruction, support and capital. The majority of funding is distributed on
a per student basis. Every school board receives the same amount per student for basic
instruction. Additional funds are provided, depending on student needs (programming for
students with severe disabilities, English as a Second Language and so on), sparse student
population (in rural areas), transportation needs and other non-instructional costs.
Instructional funding to local boards for
grades 1 to 9 is based on school enrolments as of September 30. Funding for students in
senior high courses is calculated on a per credit basis according to the number of courses
completed.
| School FeesUnder the School
Act, school boards may not charge Alberta students tuition fees. They may set fees for
such things as transportation; textbook, locker and musical instrument rentals; lunchroom
supervision; art supplies; field trips; yearbooks and class pictures. Parents are often
required to provide school supplies needed by their children, such as notebooks, pens and
pencils. Band and sports uniforms are also the responsibility of parents. |
Education Property Taxes
Education property taxes support public
and separate school students in grades 1 to 12. They are mostly used for instruction,
including teacher salaries, textbooks and other classroom resources. Education property
taxes are not used to fund capital expenditures such as school construction or
renovations, private schools, teachers’ pensions or Department of Learning
operations.
All residential and non-residential
property owners pay education property taxes whether or not they have children in school.
Anyone who rents or leases property also pays property taxes indirectly through his or her
monthly rent or lease payments.
Roman Catholic property owners who live in
an area with a Catholic separate school board must direct their taxes to that board.
Protestant property owners who live in St. Albert where there is a Protestant separate
school board must direct their taxes to that board. (See section on Residency.) For more
information on declaring or changing school board support, contact the local municipal
office.
Next section -> Opportunities for Choice in Education
October 1998
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