Last week, Alberta announced an $8.6 billion plan to build new schools across the province, quadrupling the existing capital fund to construct new schools. And, in an historic first, Alberta will allocate some of this funding to independent schools.

Currently, independent schools in Alberta and other Canadian provinces can receive government funding to help cover their operating costs. Operating costs include things like teaching salaries, textbooks, and technology supplies. This funding is generally a percentage of the operating funds given to public schools. In Alberta, independent schools can receive up to 70% of the operating funding that public schools receive. (The funding is 50% in British Columbia and Manitoba, 60% in Quebec, and 80% in Saskatchewan. Independent schools in Ontario and the Maritime provinces receive no public assistance.)

Provincial polices have always required independent schools to fund the construction of actual school buildings themselves. Construction costs for a new school can easily reach into the tens of millions of dollars, a hefty price tag for any independent school community.

Alberta’s new policy extends capital funding to independent schools for the first time in Canadian history (as far as we are aware). As of yet, there are no details on how much of this $8.6 billion pot of cash would be available to independent schools nor what strings might be attached.

The Christian think tank Cardus has a suggestion about how this money might be released. They suggest that $100 million of these funds be set aside to incentivize new independent schools to start up and existing independent schools to scale up. They suggest schools could be required to raise a substantial portion of the capital funding (e.g. 50%) themselves, justify the public investment by increasing enrollment in their school, and continue to operate for at least ten years. The goal of such a policy would be to enable independent schools to be a part of the solution for educating the rapidly growing Albert student population.

Regardless of the precise details of Alberta’s new capital plan in education, the spirit of the plan aligns well with ARPA’s Educational Diversity policy report. While our report doesn’t specifically ask provincial governments to extend capital funding to independent schools, its central premise is that an education system that supports a variety of schools best serves children and families and so promotes a flourishing society.

Not only does a diverse educational system enable parents to fulfil their God-given calling to educate their kids according to their own convictions, but it also breathes life into our constitutional guarantee of freedom of association and freedom of religion. A diverse education system also fosters healthy competition between schools and generally leads to better outcomes: higher grades, improved graduation rates, increased university applications, and better citizens. In extending capital funding to independent schools, the Alberta government is helping set students up for success.