The Rocky View Schools (RVS) capital plan is addressing space issues for schools in the division.
The approved 2023 to 2026 capital plan includes an urgent request to the provincial government for funding for new schools in Airdrie, Cochrane, and Chestermere.
RVS’ student population grows between 750 to 1,000 students annually and could fill one to two new schools each year, a RVS media release said.
As the school division continues to quickly grow, having enough space for students to learn is a constant challenge for RVS.
“Prioritizing provincial capital funding to build new schools in RVS is vital as modular classrooms added to schools and school additions are just not keeping pace with the growth we are seeing in our urban communities,” Board Chair, Fiona Gilbert said. “With hundreds of children expected in these communities, the need for space is immediate.”
In a recent census, data collected indicated that Chestermere was in the top ten list of the fastest growing communities in Alberta, following Cochrane and Airdrie.
By 2026, RVS’ utilization rate across the entire school division will be at 101 per cent, despite the expected 2024 opening of a junior and senior high school in Langdon, and an approved addition to Bow Valley High School in Cochrane, the release said.
“RVS is creative in maximizing the existing space to offer the best learning environment possible, but more space is urgently required,” Gilbert said. “With at least three years required to design and construct a school, RVS is in critical need of new school approvals and funding.”
The 2023 to 2026 capital plan outlines the capital requirements, with the need for more student space in Chestermere, Cochrane, and Airdrie. However, prioritizing the list is challenging for RVS because Airdrie, Cochrane and Chestermere are experiencing rapid growth at the same time.
RVS’ first priority is a kindergarten to grade eight school in Airdrie.
The student population in Airdrie increases by about 300 to 400 students annually, creating the need for a new school every second year. No new RVS facilities have been opened in Airdrie for the past two years. If this priority is approved in 2023, there will be a five-year gap between new RVS school openings in Airdrie.
However, a site in the community of South Windsong in the southwest region of Airdrie is ready for the construction of this school.
The second priority is a kindergarten to grade five school in Cochrane.
To keep up with community growth, a new school is required every two to three years in Cochrane.
The last RVS school opened in Cochrane was in the community of Fireside in 2017.
A new public elementary school in Cochrane is needed, but the final location is still to be determined based on the site readiness of a school site.
The third priority for RVS is a kindergarten to grade nine school in Chestermere.
A new elementary and middle school is required in Chestermere due to significant growth on the far west side of the community where current schools are already full.
RVS is also losing overall student spaces in Chestermere with the closure of the Prince of Peace facility at the end of the school year.
“Critical is now. It’s really important as trustees although we do want to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions, the message shouldn’t be lost, that critical is now. In four years, we’ll be at the desperate point,” RVS Ward 1 Trustee Shali Baziuk said.
Building schools is a necessity, not only for youth to learn but for the community, Baziuk explained.
“It really should be a no-brainer, that when schools need to be built, they are built. Although it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community to build a school,” Baziuk said.
The board is frustrated with back and forth between municipalities and developers to prioritize school sites in areas where schools are needed.
“It’s fortunate that in Chestermere, we’re seeing the opposite is now becoming true, where developers are working hard to get school sites ready, and the municipality is pushing,” Baziuk said.
The fourth priority for RVS is a high school in Airdrie.
High school enrolments in Airdrie are out-pacing capacity, even with modular classrooms added to every local high school this year.
RVS anticipated this growth and worked with the City of Airdrie to secure and develop the land required for the new high school in southwest Airdrie.
RVS will submit the capital plan to the province for consideration.
