Reinvesting education tax to Strathmore

By Chantelle de Jonge Chestermere-Strathmore MLA

The recent increase in Education Property Tax for the Town of Strathmore has raised questions in our community. Here’s what you need to know.

Municipalities have collected education property taxes for over 30 years, and this continues to be the case. The education property tax has historically funded one third of our education. In recent years it has fallen behind as education funding rose. The increases over the next two years will bring education property taxes back up to 33 per cent of total education funding, so that we can continue to build schools and fund enrolment growth. 

By restoring the education property tax to previous funding levels, we are making record investments into education to the tune of more than $9.8 billion to address growing enrollment pressures. 

I would encourage the Town of Strathmore to clarify to their residents that the education property tax is levied by the province so Alberta’s government can reinvest all of it in supporting the success of our Strathmore students in our world-class education system.

The education property tax will raise $3.1 billion in 2025–26, helping pay for instructional costs, including teacher salaries, textbooks, and other classroom resources for Strathmore schools. Across the province, funding from the education property tax helps fund $1.1 billion over the next three years to hire additional teachers and classroom support staff, so school authorities can manage class sizes and the growing number of students. As well as $1.6 billion to support specialized learning needs and groups of students who may require additional support from school authorities through the learning support funding grants.

The education property tax is set by the provincial government and applies uniformly across Alberta. All municipalities collect an equitable share of the provincial education property tax in proportion to their total taxable property assessments, which are equalized across the province. The process ensures owners of properties of similar value and type across the province pay similar amounts of education property taxes. 

For 2025–26, education property tax rates will increase to $2.72 per $1,000 of property value for residential and farmland, and $4.00 per $1,000 of property value for non-residential properties. For residential and farmland property, this is an increase of 16 cents from $2.56 for every $1,000 of property value last year.

In the Strathmore area, property values have risen more than the Alberta average. Across the province, total property values (equalized assessment) rose by 7.55 per cent this year. In comparison, Strathmore saw a greater increase, while places like Edmonton grew less and Calgary grew more. The variance in property values directly impacts how much education tax each municipality must collect, and reflects the rising value of local properties and the growing demand for educational services across our province – ensuring our schools have the stable and sustainable source of funding needed to meet the demands of increased student enrollment.  

Strathmore is a growing community, and schools are seeing increasing enrollment. The Golden Hills School Division is planning to rebuild Westmount Elementary, which is over 50 years old. The education property tax will help pay for the cost to operate that new school, and this funding must be in place in order to replace this aging school.

The education property tax is fully invested back into schools in Strathmore, and in fact, it is only a small portion of the total education funding that the Government of Alberta invests in Strathmore schools. For example, in 2024, the Golden Hills Education Operating Grant was roughly $88 million, while the education property tax requisition from the Town of Strathmore was under $6 million.

Every single dollar of the education property tax will be reinvested into education in Strathmore to support our students, help get the new Westmount School built and enhance Alberta’s ability to fund school operations in Strathmore and across the province, leading to better educational outcomes as student enrolment continues to grow.

As always, please feel free to reach out to my office with your feedback and questions (Chestermere.Strathmore@assembly.ab.ca).

(Chantelle de Jonge is the MLA for Chestermere-Strathmore and the Parliamentary Secretary for Affordability and Utilities)