Article – The Alberta government has finally moved on an issue that’s been brewing in classrooms across the province for years. Yesterday, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced a new Class Size Task Force aimed at addressing the growing concerns around overcrowded classrooms and their impact on student learning.
As I walked through the halls of Queen Elizabeth High School in Edmonton last week, the evidence was impossible to miss. Thirty-four students crammed into a science lab designed for twenty-four. Teachers navigating narrow pathways between desks. One educator told me she keeps extra chairs stacked in the corner, knowing she’ll need them when new students arrive mid-semester.
“We’re well beyond the question of whether we have a problem,” said Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association. “Teachers have been raising the alarm about class sizes for over a decade. What we need now isn’t another study – it’s concrete action.”
The new task force will bring together education stakeholders including school board trustees, superintendents, and teachers to develop recommendations by next spring. According to Nicolaides, the goal is to create “practical solutions that can be implemented within the current fiscal framework.”
This last point has raised eyebrows among education advocates. Wing Li, communications director for Support Our Students Alberta, expressed skepticism about the initiative’s timing and scope.
“We’ve seen this playbook before,” Li told me during a phone interview. “The government announces a task force when public pressure builds, but then constraints like ‘fiscal framework’ often mean the recommendations gather dust on a shelf.”
The numbers tell a troubling story. According to the ATA, average class sizes have increased by nearly 17% over the past eight years, while funding per student has decreased when adjusted for inflation. In high schools across Edmonton and Calgary, it’s not uncommon to see core subjects like math and science with 35-40 students per class.
Sarah Thompson, a Grade 10 math teacher in Calgary, described the daily reality: “When classes are this large, personalized instruction becomes almost impossible. I know which students need extra help, but finding those minutes in a 60-minute period with 37 teenagers is like solving an impossible equation.”
The province’s approach to class size has evolved significantly since 2019, when the UCP government eliminated dedicated class size funding that had been in place since 2004. That earlier initiative followed the Alberta Commission on Learning, which had recommended class size targets of 17 students for K-3, 23 for grades 4-6, 25 for junior high, and 27 for high school.
Public data shows these targets haven’t been met in most Alberta schools for years. The Calgary Board of Education reported last year that only 2% of K-3 classrooms met the recommended target of 17 students.
Nathan Ip, Edmonton Public School Board trustee, welcomed the task force but emphasized that solutions would require investment. “There’s no magic wand to fix this without resources,” he said. “We need to be honest about what it will take, including appropriate funding.”
The task force announcement comes as Alberta faces growing pressure on its education system. Recent standardized test results showed declining math scores, and surveys indicate increasing teacher burnout. The province has also seen significant population growth, with over 30,000 new students entering the system since 2019.
Minister Nicolaides acknowledged these challenges during yesterday’s press conference. “We understand that class composition and complexity are significant factors that affect the learning environment,” he said. “This task force will examine best practices from other jurisdictions and develop Alberta-specific solutions.”
Parents I’ve spoken with have mixed reactions to the announcement. Samantha Jackson, whose children attend elementary school in Red Deer, expressed cautious optimism. “I appreciate they’re acknowledging the problem, but my daughter is in a split grade class with 31 students right now. Will this help her before she graduates?”
The timeline for the task force has it providing recommendations to the minister by April 2024, with possible implementation for the 2024-25 school year. That leaves many wondering what immediate relief might be available for students and teachers currently working in overcrowded conditions.
Dr. Phil McRae, executive staff officer with the ATA, noted that complex classrooms require more than just counting heads. “Class size is one factor, but we also need to consider the composition – the number of students with special needs, English language learners, and other factors that affect teaching and learning conditions.”
The Alberta School Councils’ Association, representing parent voices, issued a statement calling the task force “a step in the right direction,” while urging the government to ensure parent representation in the process.
As winter approaches and Alberta schools enter their busiest months, the pressure on educators continues to mount. Whether this task force represents a genuine commitment to addressing classroom challenges or merely a political response to growing criticism remains to be seen.
What’s clear from my conversations with those on the front lines is that Alberta’s students and teachers can’t afford to wait much longer for meaningful solutions.
