Alberta school councils have been told there will not be any money in this spring's budget to pay for all-day kindergarten.

Education Minister Jeff Johnson delivered that message to school councils in a conference call this week saying the lack of funding is due to the province's bleak financial position.

"This province for years has been up and down based on oil revenues and that we're still going down that road when it comes to our children's education, I think is pretty disappointing," said Larry Leach from the Association for Responsive Trusteeship in Calgary Schools.

The vice-chair of the Calgary Board of Education said the board will continue to pay for the select all-day kindergarten classes which it currently provides through the existing budget.

"Full-day kindergarten is an effective learning strategy for some children," said Lynn Ferguson.

The education minister also indicated that construction on 50 new schools will be delayed by at least one year.

The Alberta Liberal Party is calling on the Tory government to raise taxes so it can continue to fund key projects.