Thanks to the rapid growth of Langdon and the surrounding area, there are changes coming to the school district ward and a push to break ground on a new high school.
Changes to the wards for the Rocky View School Division have passed third reading and just require ministerial approval to take hold for the October election, which would mean an increase to two trustees where there is just one now.
If approved, it would mean the current position for Ward 2 trustee would strictly cover the rural area, which includes Langdon and Indus, while Chestermere would have its own representative.
Assuming approval, Ward 2 trustee Bev LaPeare’s main focus now is moving some earth for a Langdon High School.
The board has approved $2,423,185 for site preparation spending. LaPeare hopes the land can be prepped as early as this spring. For that happen, the board must move the school to year one of the capital budget from year two, and then a request for proposals will be announced.
“We have our next board meeting (March 16) and that’s when we should be voting on the capital plan,” LaPeare said. “After that meeting, I hope to be saying, I got the Langdon High school on the first year of the capital plan. That’s what I’m really pushing for.”
The Alberta government hasn’t approved any new schools for the district since 2014, and Langdon might end up around fifth on the priority list when education spending gets handed out again.
However, if the site isn’t ready for construction, LaPeare places the odds of getting approval at zero to none.
Right now, students entering high school are heading to Chestermere, creating a high traffic situation in the morning and return commutes. Enrolment is already high in that city, a new local high school would serve to help reduce the CHS student population while keeping our students closer to home.
“Now the utilization in Chestermere is high enough that the government would consider us for approval,” LaPeare said. “We want to have all our ducks in a row so that when it actually happens, we can’t say we didn’t get approval because of what we did. We want to make sure that site is ready and all set to go.”
“Depending on approval timing, my guess is there will be roughly 400 students attending the high school in Langdon. It would be considered a small high school. ”
“Langdon is growing, and will keep growing. If you look at communities of similar size across the province, they all have their own high school. In my opinion, it’s just wrong that Langdon doesn’t have its own.”
According to the 2016 census, Langdon grew 20.2 per cent from 4,211 to 5,060 people, making it one of the fastest growing communities in the province. Rocky View County is growing just as fast, which will mean other major investments will be taking place over the next few years, including an eventual new high school in Chestermere.
“They estimate that in 10 years we will be over 35,500 students,” LaPeare said. “Currently we are at roughly 22,500. We’re going to need some infrastructure to put those kids into.”
