Premier Jim Prentice announced Monday morning that Calgary will be getting 4 new schools to help address classroom size.
“With our province experiencing such incredible population growth, I’ve heard loud and clear across Alberta the need to fund school construction,” says Prentice.
The province plans to commit $30.6 million to the Calgary Board of Education. That money will be used for what’s being called starter schools. Basically, schools will be built in phases to get students into classes before the entire building is complete.
The four Calgary starter schools will be located in:
- West Springs/Cougar Ridge (west);
- Saddle Ridge (northeast);
- Cranston (southeast); and
- Aspen Woods (west).
“So we’re really building elastic schools,” says Gordon Dirks, the education minister. “Over time, enrollment goes up and as communities mature enrollments drop down. And because you’re using modular stability, you’re able to take those modulars away as enrollment drops in the decades to come, and use those modulars elsewhere.”
No date has been given for the start of construction. Officials just say they want to get it done as soon as possible.
The province is also committing $2.8-million to Westgate School. The money will create 8 modular classrooms so the Spanish program won’t have to move.
$1-million will also go towards planning of the new high school in south Calgary.
Calgary schools have a predicted growth of 5,000 students per year over the next seven years.
