Mental health pilot extended until next June in Alberta schools

By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Extra funding announced today recognizes the complexity and regional diversity of mental health needs in Alberta’s schools, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said.

The top-up of the Mental Health in Schools Pilot adds $6.7 million to a round of funding set to end in December. Affected are programs in 59 rural and urban school authorities.

“The main purpose here is that we recognize that mental health is a top priority for many students and that we need to do as much as we can to help support students’ mental health,” Nicolaides said in a Local Journalism Initiative interview for rural Alberta publications. “So we are really happy to be in a position to provide some new investment to keep these programs operating a little longer.”

The announcement gives extra life until the end of the school year to funding for a range of initiatives — like the hiring of mental health therapists by the Livingstone Range School Division in southern Alberta; professional development for teachers and other school staff in Buffalo Trail Public Schools in the east-central reaches of the province; and courses in mental health awareness, coping strategies and reducing stigma for students, parents and staff in the Peace River School Division in the north.

Nicolaides, the representative for Calgary-Bow, said that the funding allows the province to gather more insight into what programs and initiatives are effective. But he noted that broad solutions aren’t always applicable from one jurisdiction to another.

“I wouldn’t profess to be an expert on what those differences are, as a born and raised Calgarian, but I do know that the challenges can be quite unique for families and students in our rural communities,” Nicolaides said. “I think that a real and important dynamic behind these pilots is that these are local solutions.”

The announcement affects the pilot’s first call, which launched in December 2022. A second call of 20 more pilot programs runs out of funding in June 2025.

School authorities evaluate their communities and student profiles to come up with mental health programming. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s 79 different approaches to help recognize unique needs.”

Differences go beyond a broad rural-urban divide. “When we say rural community, you know, a community just outside of Edmonton is very, very different from other rural communities. And there are vast differences in space between northern Alberta communities versus other parts of the province,” the minister said.

“There are big nuances and complexities that need to be taken into account. And I think these pilots allow us to do that.”

Public, separate, francophone, public charter, accredited and funded independent school authorities, and First Nations education authorities were all eligible to apply. Also, Budget 2024 included $1.5 billion over three years for specialized learning grants, which allow school authorities to provide students with psychological, social-emotional and other wellness support, including access to mental health workers.

Nicolaides said his hope is that Alberta Education learns of both broad and individualized ways to help teachers and schools address mental health.

He said: “There’s no question our classrooms are becoming more complex as the days go by than they were in the past. More students have mental health challenges, learning disabilities, even challenges with English, as we welcome more and more Albertans. That creates a more dynamic environment in our classroom.

“So of course, when our teachers need to spend more and more time dealing with these other issues, it can take away from the learning experience.”

Addressing that complexity is also represented in new school board funding announced in the current budget, he said.

“It’s our hope is that with these mental health pilots and with this infusion of new money as well we can help give students the tools, resources and access to professionals that they need to be able to overcome any mental health concerns that they may be experiencing.”

Good results on the mental health front for students will ultimately help them succeed academically and later in life, Nicolaides said. “So we do hope this will help move the needle in the array of complex challenges that we are seeing in our classrooms today.”