CALGARY, Alberta, Dec. 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spending on public schools in Alberta increased 3.2 per cent per student in recent years, surpassing the national average, finds a new study by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“Contrary to what we often hear, education spending on public schools in Alberta has increased, and it’s increasing at a faster rate than in other parts of the country,” said Jason Clemens, Fraser Institute executive vice-president and co-author of Education Spending in Public Schools in Canada, 2020 Edition.
The study finds that per-student spending, after adjusting for inflation, increased in Alberta from $14,003 in 2012/13 to $14,456 in 2016/17, the most recent year of available Statistics Canada data.
That’s a 3.2 per cent increase, which was higher than the national average increase of 2.9 per cent.
Crucially, Alberta spent $2,577 more per student in 2016/17 than neighbouring British Columbia, which spent $11,879.
“In critical policy discussions, especially those that affect our children’s education, it’s important to understand exactly what’s happening with public education spending,” Clemens said.
“In Alberta, the evidence is clear—spending on public education, after adjusting for inflation and enrolment changes, has increased over the past few years.”
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The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute’s independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org