Edmonton, Calgary school boards applaud additional funding, fast-tracked construction process [Video]

School boards in Calgary and Edmonton are applauding the Alberta government for quadrupling school funding and fast-tracking the process to get shovels in the ground on school projects.

In a televised address Tuesday evening, Premier Danielle Smith announced $8.6 billion in funding over the next three years through a new School Construction Accelerator Program.

Starting in budget 2025, the province said the program will kick-start construction of 30 new schools and upwards of eight modernizations or replacement schools every year for the next three years. The goal is to create 200,000 new student spaces across Alberta over the next seven years to keep up with enrolment pressure.

“This is the fastest and largest build our province can manage,” Smith said at a media availability about the funding Wednesday morning. “We need more spaces now.”

Patricia Bolger, board chair of the Calgary Board of Education, called the investment “much-needed.” With 143,000 students this year — an increase of more than 5,000 over last …