Each school division in the province is required to submit its proposed list of capital requests in April of each year.  

Last week the Board of Trustees of Rocky View Schools (RVS) did just that.  The division is asking whichever party forms the next provincial government after April 16th to approve 14 schools for RVS over the next three budget years.

The schools are desperately needed in the fastest growing school district in the province.  RVS is growing at a rate of nearly 1,000 students a year.  School utilization rates show that, at the present time, Rocky View Schools are being utilized at 87 percent.  Without more space being added, that rate is expected to grow to a critical utilization rate of 100 percent by the year 2022.  School Board Chair Todd Brand says space issues in RVS has moved to beyond critical.

"85 percent was always considered the mark that you don't want to be going beyond.  85 percent means your school is being fully utilized.  When you get to the 100 percent mark, you're really pushing the boundaries of proper utilization of the school.  When you go beyond that, you're looking at shutting down learning commons, music rooms, science labs, even the gymnasium is all going to be open for potential changes where we may need to put multiple classrooms into the gymnasiums and shut down the gym for a few years.  None of those are at all for the benefit of students."

Brand explains when you do that, you're maxing out the core of the school as well.  "Your administrative space, your washroom space, everything.  Schools are not designed to be running at more than 85 percent let alone 115 - 120 percent.  It is getting to very much a dire situation because the growth rate at RVS continues to be very high.  RVS is still growing at almost 1,000 students per year.  These are huge needs for us."

Brand says before the last election there was some significant building of schools that went on.  That was repeated in the early years of the current government.  "But even that was just trying to get us up to a point when we're not having space crises," says Brand.  "Now that there is a continued slowdown in terms of building these schools, we're starting to see some really major pinch points."

Brand explains that announcements of school builds made today are several years away from being able to accommodate students.  "We are at a crisis point, there is no question.  We know this is going to impact learning space without question, in a significantly negative way over the next few years."

In the City of Airdrie alone the growth rate is 600 students per year, which equates to Airdrie being able to fill a new school each year.  "Now, that wouldn't be true if our schools were only at 50 or 60 percent utilization.  We could just put the new kids into those schools, but when you're already pushing over that 85 percent mark, we need a new school opening every year.  We know there were no new school announcements in the last two years and from today forward, its still years away from being opened.  So the situation in Airdrie is very critical."

RVS is asking parents and others to ask candidates from all parties the important question, "What will your party do in terms of building new schools?"

Brand says, "We recognize where the economy is at, but these are spaces for students to learn in and, to me, it needs to be on every party's non-negotiable list, 'it doesn't matter how bad things are, we're going to build schools.'  That's the one thing we're committed to, we are going to build schools for our students, we're going to make sure that's a priority no matter where we're at.  I hope that would be the message that all parties would send, but I encourage people to ask their candidates."

 Here is the list of Capital Projects submitted to Alberta Education by RVS, in order of priority:

2020 Budget Year:

Langdon Middle / High School  -  New construction in the Langdon community with space for 900 students 

Bow Valley High School  -  An addition to be built on to the existing school in Cochrane, adding an additional 700 spaces for students 

Airdrie K - 9 School  -  New construction in Airdrie with 900 student spaces 

Airdrie K - 9 School  -  New construction in Airdrie with 900 student spaces 

Cochrane K - 5 School  -  New construction in Cochrane with 600 student spaces

2021 Budget Year: 

Chestermere K - 9 School  -  New construction in the City of Chestermere with 900 student spaces 

Springbank K - 9 School  -  New construction in Springbank's Harmony community with space for 900 students 

Chestermere K - 9 School  -  New construction in Chestermere with 900 student spaces 

Chestermere High School  -  New construction in Chestemere with room for 1,500 students 

2022 Budget Year:

Langdon K - 5 School  -  New construction in Langdon with 600 student spaces 

Crossfield K - 5 School  -  New construction in Crossfield with 600 student spaces 

Airdrie K - 9 School  -  New construction in Airdrie with space for 900 students 

Cochrane K - 9 School  -  New construction in Cochrane with 900 student spaces 

Airdrie High School  -  New construction in Airdrie with space for 1,500 students 

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