Edmonton Public Schools’ Board to discuss 25–26 distribution of funds

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A petition called on Edmonton Public Schools to end the construction of a new quarantine room was presented at a board meeting Tuesday, putting public pressure on the controversial practices the department had promised to phase out.

Sarah Doll, an advocate for Hold My Hand Alberta, represents more than 500 families, with educators and students signing the petition in just one week.

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“In 2019, this department was committed to phase out the quarantine rooms, a commitment that is very important for families fighting for the scope of the ban,” the doll said. “Six years later, after this division lobbying to overturn the ban, there is still no plan, timeline or public responsibility. Use is increased every year, while new rooms are still built in partitioned classrooms.”

The petition calls on the board to stop funding the construction of any new rooms that can be used to isolate students with disabilities “instead of their own will.”

“Given the department’s firm defense of nearly $1 million in seclusion housing construction costs last year, this sudden shift has raised important questions,” she said. “Has the design, intention or use indeed changed?”

Edmonton Public Schools principal Darrel Robertson responded at the meeting, saying the newly built feels different from the secluded room.

“In Edmonton public, a sensory space is a dedicated space designed to provide a calm and supportive environment to help regulate students,” Robertson said. “I can confirm that these sensory rooms do not have a locking mechanism. There are equipment in the rooms, so in fact they are not used as isolation rooms at all.”

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Robertson said the department has been working to reduce the use of seclusion through employee training, behavioral programs and alternative strategies.

“We have very clear administrative regulations on the use of seclusion rooms and are very transparent about how these rooms are used,” he said. “Over the past year, we have been working hard to reduce the isolation of the department and no one wants to use the isolation room. We want our children to be happy, regulated and engaged in learning.”

He said the department has been inspiring schools to repurpose existing rooms with sensory equipment and pilot a training program called Studio Trix to better support staff working with children with autism and other professional needs.

2025–2026 Funding Report

The debate surrounding the use of quarantine rooms is as trustees reviewed the allocation of funding reports for 2025-2026, laying the foundation for how schools and central departments can get budgets in the next year.

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The operating capital of the division is expected to increase to $1.24 billion, an increase of $50.5 million or 4.3%, compared with 2024-2025. This growth is largely driven by projected enrollment growth, higher grant rates and a new provincial funding approach called the Adjusted Enrollment Method (AEM). The new two-year AEM formula replaces the previous Weighted Moving Average (WMA) model, aiming to provide greater predictability and stability of school funding.

Changes to the AEM formula reduced the number of students without funding from 4,002 under the WMA to 1,301, which provided $22.7 million in conjunction with the cancellation of the supplementary enrollment growth grant. Without this grant, net funding for AEM shifts alone increased by $1.1 million, or 2% of the overall increase of $50.5 million.

Wages, wages and benefits remain the largest cost drivers in the sector, accounting for more than 79% of total operating costs and 96% of the annual school operating budget. Most employee groups (excluding teachers) see unit costs between 7% and 9%, converting into an additional cost of nearly $25 million. The increase in teacher salaries is expected to be offset by additional provincial funds.

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To maintain existing staff, the department plans to use $23 million from its accumulated operating surplus despite rising costs. Of this, $10 million will support the school’s unit cost reduction, with a total allocated $18.4 million for this purpose.

While the measure helps balance budgets for the coming year, questions about its long-term sustainability remain.

“We see more sustainability, but there is more work to be done, and we see that when we have to pull out funds from the accumulated operating surplus to supplement employee unit cost costs, increase employee costs from wages, increase costs from wages, and from benefits, there is so much more work to be done that we can provide enough sustainable budgets so that we can make the budget move forward.”

The province has also introduced a new school technical grant to improve cybersecurity measures and change transportation grants. Students in grades 1 to 6 must now live at least 1.6 kilometers from the school, up to 1.0 kilometers to be eligible for transportation funds. Transitional funds are expected, but details have not been shared yet.

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The department will also receive $7 million from school pilots in the province, which will be used to expand partnerships with Alberta Health Services and Community Organizations.

cnguyen@postmedia.com

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