Alberta to fund extra staff for complex elementary classrooms

The Alberta government is providing $143 million to place about 1,400 additional teachers and educational assistants in strained elementary classrooms, with most positions directed to Edmonton and Calgary, and has pledged to hire more staff over the next three years.

Alberta's government says it will spend $143 million to place about 1,400 additional teachers and educational assistants in elementary classrooms across the province. Most of the new staff are intended for schools in Edmonton and Calgary where officials say the need is greatest. The announcement is part of a larger pledge to hire 3,000 new teachers and 1,500 educational assistants over the next three years. Officials have said a recent teachers' strike revealed pressures on front-line staff and influenced the decision. Reported details: - The government is allocating $143 million to dispatch about 1,400 extra teachers and educational assistants to elementary schools. - Most of the new positions are to be placed in Edmonton and Calgary, according to the government. - The plan forms part of a three-year pledge to hire 3,000 teachers and 1,500 educational assistants. - In October the government invoked the Charter's notwithstanding clause to end a provincewide teachers' strike and imposed a pay deal that teachers had previously rejected. - Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said initial deployments will target kindergarten to Grade 6 classrooms to focus on early intervention for complex needs. Summary: The funding is intended to add immediate in-class support and respond to reported pressures on teachers and support staff. Officials say initial efforts will concentrate on kindergarten to Grade 6, and the broader recruitment plan will continue across the next three years.