When the list of new schools to be built in the province came from Alberta Education in March, the Rocky View School Division wasn't on it.  

The announcement came as a huge disappointment for students, staff, parents, administrators and School Board trustees.  RVS is one of the fastest-growing and overcrowded school divisions in the province with the influx of people coming to places like Airdrie, Cochrane and Chestermere.

When Budget 2021 was presented, the government said it would provide an additional $60 million to complete modular, or portable, classroom projects to address some of the space concerns in schools around Alberta.  That made for a total of $85 million to support emergent space needs through modulars.

In April RVS requested an additional 18 units on top of the 13 new units and nine modular relocations they requested last October and waited for an answer from the government.

In late May, they got it, receiving confirmation that they were approved for 16 new modulars and the relocation of nine others.

The new units will provide additional space to students at Bow Valley High School and Manachaban Middle School in Cochrane and at Bert Church and W.H. Croxford High Schools in Airdrie.  Eight of the new units have been earmarked for Bert Church with six going to Croxford.

RVS says they've been working as they waited for word on the request from the government to secure the required development and building permits for the units where possible.  The new units aren't expected to arrive until the fall and won't be ready for students until late fall or early winter.  The existing units to be relocated are expected to be ready for use in early fall.

While the division is appreciative of the mdulars, they won't be nearly enough to solve the ongoing space crunch in fast-growing areas.  RVS will continue to advocate for new schools to be built to address the ever-growing student numbers.    

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