Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools receives provincial funding to hire 15 teachers

May 15, 2026 | 2:08 PM

Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools says they’ve received funding from the province for 15 additional full-time equivalent teaching positions for the 2026-27 school year.

This comes after the provincial government announced on May 13 they were investing $200 million through the new Class Size Reduction Grant to reduce class sizes in Kindergarten to Grade 9.

The funding, the province said, will be used to hire more than 1,400 teachers and will go to the school divisions with the greatest pressures based on data collected by the Ministry on 108,000 classrooms across Alberta.

This funding, the division says, is specifically for teachers to provide direct classroom instruction in core subjects, to reduce the provincial average from 25 to 22 students per class.

They added that reducing the number of students per room is a critical step in ensuring every child receives the attention they deserve.

To address class sizes

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“Class size and complexity remain serious challenges in Alberta,” said Chris Andrew, Board Chair, in a media release. “We are pleased to see this targeted support – adding 15 full-time teachers to our division will significantly improve learning conditions and allow our educators to better meet the diverse needs of their students.”

This $200-million grant is part of a larger $350-million commitment for the 2026-2027 school year and builds upon the $143 million previously invested in specialized complexity teams.

“We are grateful for this funding while staffing is underway. Our school division is currently reviewing the criteria for allocation of this funding, and we will be working with school administrators to allocate it,“ said Dr. Rhonda Nixon, Superintendent of Schools.

“Our inclusive education team has been working with each school to review detailed classroom profiles, and we will assess where the supports are needed and align our decisions with the criteria of the Ministry,” explained Ms. Nicole Zimmerman, Associate Superintendent of Student Services.

by rdnewsNOW staff

Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools receives provincial funding to hire 15 teachers

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