School Declaration

If you have purchased a home recently you should have received a School Support Declaration Form (PDF) or click here to fill the form online. The School tax act requires the town to issue this form which enables you to indicate whether you are a public or separate school supporter. If the Tax Department does not have your declaration on file by December 31st of the current year, you will be listed as undeclared. If you have not filed a declaration, or if you wish to change your school support for the next year, please contact our office.

Education Property Tax 

The Town of Slave Lake is required by The Alberta School Act (RSA 2000, C S-3) to bill and collect school taxes on behalf of the provincial government. While the Town bills and collects school taxes, the municipality has no jurisdiction or control over school board budgets or operations. According to the Municipal Government Act, the Town is required to include the requisition amounts for education and seniors’ housing.

Each year the province calculates the amount that each municipality must contribute towards the public education system. The calculation is based on a formula that includes the amount of assessment in each municipality.

Municipalities are notified of the amount they must collect in education property taxes. They then set an appropriate local education property tax rate. The local tax rate is then applied to the assessed value of your property to determine your education property taxes for the year. Municipalities collect education property taxes from their rate payers, and send them to the province.

All separate school boards in the province have opted-out of the Alberta School Foundation Fund, which means they requisition and collect property tax money from the municipalities directly. Any difference between what opted-out school boards collect in requisitions and the per-student funding they are entitled to is adjusted.