A new middle school in the city's northeast for Red Deer Public Schools is one of 11 school projects to take the next step towards construction across Alberta.
On Wednesday, the province announced the Red Deer school would move from the pre-planning phase to the planning phase.
“This announcement is welcome news for Red Deer Public Schools as we continue to experience growth, particularly at the middle school level. Advancing the planning phase brings us closer to addressing capacity challenges and ensuring we can provide the best possible teaching and learning environments for our staff and students," said Red Deer Public Schools board chair Nicole Buchanan, in a statement.
"We appreciate the government’s recognition of this project and look forward to continued collaboration as we move ahead in the planning process.”
The new school, approved by the province two years ago, will have the capacity for 600 students and be located on Thomlison Avenue in Timberstone.
Red Deer Public was also grateful to the City of Red Deer, whose support and collaboration have been instrumental in preparing the site for development.
“As residential development continues to expand in this area, the City of Red Deer has been a strong and consistent partner, recognizing the long-term need for a new school and working alongside us to ensure the site is ready for future students,” Buchanan said.
With the provincial government's new initiative to accelerate school projects, funding for projects that are ready for the next step can be approved without waiting for the next budget cycle, so projects can be approved at any time.
“Alberta’s government is delivering on our commitment to build vibrant, high-quality learning environments for students across the province. By accelerating school construction and expanding modular classroom capacity, we’re making sure families in growing communities have access to the education spaces they need – now and into the future," said Infrastructure Minister Martin Long, in a statement.
The province said speeding up the construction of the 11 previously announced school projects in Calgary, Coalhurst, Donnelly, Falher, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie County, Lac La Biche, Red Deer, Strathmore and Wetaskiwin, will create more than 8,000 new and updated student spaces.
Last fall, Alberta’s government announced an $8.6-billion plan to speed up school construction and build and renovate more than 100 schools. Since then, 33 previously announced school projects have been approved to move forward to the next stage, and there are now 132 active school projects across Alberta.
“We are building more schools at a faster rate, never before seen in Alberta," said Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, adding the innovative approach to school construction and renovation will ensure every student has the space to engage in Alberta’s world-class education system.
