Two new schools and the modernization of four current schools have been identified as priorities in Red Deer Public School’s three-year capital plan.
The division’s board of directors approved the 2024-26 Capital Plan on March 9. Three-year plans were required to be submitted to Alberta Education by March 31.
Capital Plans submitted by Alberta school divisions are a list of capital priorities that school boards would like the provincial government to fund. The plans are essentially wish lists submitted for consideration in the government’s infrastructure planning process.
Divisions are asked to rank their identified projects, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the projects will proceed in that order.
The following were identified as priorities by Red Deer Public Schools:
- The modernization of Oriole Park Elementary School, which would include full mechanical and electrical, architectural, and functional;
- New Grade 6-8 school in Northeast Red Deer for 600 students;
- The modernizations of Gateway Christian School, Eastview Middle School, and Glendale Science and Technology School;
- New Grade 9-12 High School, Northeast Red Deer for 1,000 students.
“When it comes down to new schools, (identifying the greatest area of need) is determined between enrolment increases and what the pressures are at our schools, as well as the new construction happening in the city,” explained Colin Cairney, Red Deer Public Schools secretary treasurer.
“The northeast end of the city has definitely seen the majority of building construction and we don’t currently have a middle school in that area of the city. Anyone new building in that area with middle school children would need to walk a long distance or take busing.”
Division enrolment as of Sept. 30, 2022 was 11,154 students. The 2021-2022 enrolment count increased from the previous year by 256 students.
The division does not receive annual funding that it can use to construct new schools or do major renovations to an existing school. If projects do not receive approval from the provincial government, the school division cannot move forward with construction.
Sometimes it takes many years for a project to be approved, even if it is ranked at the top of the division’s capital plan, the division noted.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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