Alberta education spending far outstrips enrolment growth: Fraser Institute study

More money is being spent on education in Alberta than required to account for enrolmentchanges and inflation, according to theFraserInstitute.

Albertapublic schools have seen funding increase by more than 70 per cent over the 10 years to 2014 the largest rise in the country,thethink-tank said in its 2016 education spendingreport.

At the same time, enrolmentgrew by only 11 per cent, it added.

Total spending on Alberta public schools increased from $4.8 billion in 2004/2005 to more than $8 billionin 2013/2014, according to the most recent Statistics Canadadata,the study said.

"Contrary to what we hear from teachers, administrators andtrustees, public school systems in Canada have received largeincreases in funding over the last decade," saidFraserspokespersonDeaniVan Pelt.

If Alberta had tied enrolment to education spending in 2013, the province could have saved $1.7 billion that year alone, said Van Pelt, who co-authored the report.

Van Pelt saysthere have been real increases in per-student education spending in schools across the country, including25.4 per cent in Alberta over the ten-year study period.

Spending per-student in Alberta wentfrom $10,669 in2004/2005 to $13,378 in 2013/2014, adjusted for price changes, the study said.

"So we can move into a time of constraint and it can have a dramatic impact on our deficits," Van Pelt said.

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