As the new school year officially kicked off last week, many parents are sounding the alarm about over-crowded classrooms. In some schools, class sizes are double what Alberta Education recommends- leading some to worry their child's educations are suffering.
A group of Fort Saskatchewan moms contacted CTV News, saying they were shocked with what they saw on the first day of school. They say their kid's classrooms are overflowing and that's causing a great deal of concern.
"This isn't good," said Angela Christensen. "It's not good for my kid. It's not good for any child."
Some parents' say several kindergarten to grade 3 classes here have more than 30 students packed into them. The government's own target is just 17.
"How can the teacher adequately address all of our children's learning needs," said Christensen. "It's not physically possible."
School administrators say they're looking for solutions, but for budget reasons, parents can't expect the Elk Island Catholic School Board to reach the recommended targets.
"The board doesn't see that as being acceptable and parents shouldn't either," said Tony Sykora with EICSB. "In this budgetary cycle, it would be almost impossible for our particular district."
But the problem with overcrowding stretches beyond Fort Saskatchewan. Many CTV Viewers have sounded off on our Facebook page, saying some of their children are in classes with double the recommended target.
"I just think the 1-on-1 time is going to be very minimal," said Robyn Homulos, whose child goes to a south side school. "Kids will get lost in the shuffle."
This problem isn't something new though. Teachers across the province predicted this problem back in March, when the provincial budget increase was 4.5 per cent. The teachers said it wasn't good enough.
The moms are also upset with the government. They're now demanding a long-term commitment to hike dollars for schools.
"We need the government's help," said Christensen. "The government needs to provide appropriate funding for our school."
A Facebook page has been created by the women as they rally for parent support for this cause. They say they promise to keep fighting whoever they need to for proper class sizes. They say it's not only for their kids but for all Albertans.
For a link to their Facebook page, click here.
CTV News tried to contact Education Minister Dave Hancock but he could not be reached for comment.
With files from CTV's Sean Amato...
