The Rocky View School Board held a public meeting Jan. 16 to update parents on the work being done to find a home for the Prince of Peace school program next year.
The school, which has a thriving Lutheran program, will see its lease on the building expire this August.
Without a new lease, the school is facing the possibility of closure despite the program thriving.
“We’re in a building we don’t own,” said Rocky View Schools (RVS) Superintendent Greg Luterbach to a crowd of more than 120 people.
Sage Properties Corp. administers ownership of the school building for the Lutheran Church of Canada which was granted bankruptcy protection in 2015.
The school board is looking at three potential solutions; lease or purchase the school building, move the program & RVS district resident students to an existing RVS school, or close the program.
Since the last public meeting in November of last year, Rocky View Schools has made two offers to purchase the school building, both of which have been rejected by Sage’s shareholders.
“We don’t have the money they’re asking for,” said Luterbach.
An offer by Sage for a new 20-year lease was rejected by the school board who felt it was too expensive and risky.
While a solution hasn’t been found yet, RVS Board of Trustees Chair Todd Brand said that the fact that the two sides continue to talk means there is hope for a solution before the board’s self-imposed decision deadline of Feb. 7.
“At this point we’re still in the negotiation phase,” said Brand.
“I think both parties are genuinely trying to come to some type of solution or arrangement that will work for both,” he said.
“The negotiations are very sincere and very much with the prospect that there could be a potential solution,” said Brand.
The board has been focused on trying to find a solution that will allow the school to remain open next year.
Saving the Prince of Peace program has been the main theme of the parent and resident feedback the board has received since the last meeting.
“There was a tremendous amount of feedback between the first meeting and the second,” said Brand.
The school board received more than 100 letters.
Ramona Bagley, who has two children attending Prince of Peace, attended the meeting and feels optimistic that the school will be saved.
“I want to think it’s going to be a positive outcome,” said Bagley.
“It’s good that they’re still negotiating with Sage because that’s…the solution to get some sort of resolution with Sage and draw up some sort of deal,” she said.
From Brand’s perspective the meeting was difficult but went well.
“I felt it went really well, it was a difficult meeting and its difficult because of the obvious emotions on all sides of this issue,” he said.
“The repercussions for families are very serious,” he said.
The potential repercussions if a deal can’t be negotiated is the board wants to have the final decision made at the Feb. 7 meeting.
If either option two or three are chosen, the school board wants to have as much time as possible to help students, parents and staff with the transition.
To view the meeting presentation slides or for information on the next steps can go to www.rockyview.ab.ca/consultation.
