The Rocky View Schools (RVS) board of trustees received disappointing news following a modular classroom request from the provincial government.
Every year, school divisions across the province review student accommodations, and request additional or relocated modular classroom units from Alberta Education.
RVS requested 32 modular units, with Alberta Education approving nine, and relocating one modular washroom.
Among the nine approved modulars are three units slated for Chestermere Lake Middle School.
“We have no confirmation as to when the units will arrive, or be ready to install,” Superintendent of Schools Greg Luterbach said.
Like previous years, RVS will receive the modulars, with the province paying 100 per cent of the costs to deliver and set up each unit. The province will also consider additional costs to support a connection link between the school and the modular.
“Though it is preferred to have modular classrooms attached to the core school, this is becoming rare, as RVS needs to add modular classrooms to schools that were not intended for this additional modular classroom capacity,” Luterbach said.
He explained the modular units are necessary for RVS due to continued enrolment growth, with 1,294 more students in the school division than last year.
All of the schools proposed for additional modular classrooms are expected to be above 100 per cent utilization.
RVS requested four modular units for Chestermere Lake Middle School, with an expected 118 per cent utilization rate by 2024 without the units, or 105 per cent with the units.
Four units were also requested for Chestermere High with a 115 per cent utilization rate in 2023 without the units, or 105 per cent with the units.
“Prioritization and the number of requested units are based on the expected accommodation changes, projected enrolments, and utilization numbers,” Luterbach said.
RVS administration will review the unit approvals and consider possible location alterations based on student accommodation pressures.
Ward 5 trustee Judi Hunter expressed her gratitude that RVS did receive some modulars to ease space pressures schools are facing.
“This is not just Rocky View, we’re not alone. Governments in general have dropped the ball when it comes to school builds, if there’s this kind of back log, it’s going to take a lot of time,” Hunter said. “I’m happy to see we did receive modulars, even though we heard modulars by large are hard to come by. Student growth was unanticipated and underfunded, we’re not alone in the demand.”
Ward 3 trustee Fred Burley explained that he is not disappointed in the news, but he’s angry.
“We requested 750 spaces, we got 225. Growing at 1,000 students a year, this is nothing. Schools themselves are what we need, not modulars,” Burley said. “The fact they didn’t even come through, I blame the government. There are businesses out there that will make these but they’re not using them, they have selected clients, but there are other companies out there that make modulars that could do the job. I think it’s a joke what we got.”
Ward 3 trustee Todd Brand said although there are future schools in the construction queue, it’s meaningless without construction funding.
“The queue is meaningless and irrelevant, construction funding is all that’s viable, we didn’t get that, we should have at least got a full slate of modulars,” Brand said. “The message is they are not meeting the space needs of Rocky View students, yes it’s happening elsewhere in the province, that’s even more shameful on the provincial government.”
