The Rocky View School Division (RVS) is reacting to the province's announcement of a multi-billion dollar plan to address exploding student enrollment.
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- More details on Alberta’s $8.6 billion School Construction Accelerator Program
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"Mid-year announcements, the flexibility to accelerate timelines for urgent projects when they are ready to move forward, additional modulars and increased funding to help maintain our existing, over-utilized schools and aging facilities provides us with hope future relief is on the way," RVS stated in a written email.
The division added that they will await, 'further certainty' from the government on their projects to help guide RVS in making informed decisions to address growing enrolment and support all students across the division.
"Rocky View Schools appreciate the government has plans to address the acute and unsustainable pressures RVS schools and other schools across the province are facing due to increasing enrolment. RVS has experienced significant enrolment growth for many years," RVS added.
On Wednesday morning, provincial officials outlined more details on Premier Danielle Smith's announcement on Tuesday evening regarding the School Construction Accelerator Program.
According to the province, starting in Budget 2025, up to 30 new schools and eight modernizations or replacements will be launched annually for the next three years. Additionally, modular classrooms will add 20,000 new student spaces over four years. The program will also expedite previously approved projects, with 10 priority schools moving to the next stage of construction immediately.
The School Construction Accelerator Program aims to deliver over 200,000 new and modernized student spaces. In the next three years, previously approved projects and modular classrooms will add about 50,000 spaces. The program will create an additional 150,000 spaces, including:
- Over 100,000 new student spaces
- More than 16,600 modernized spaces
- Over 20,000 spaces in new or relocated modular classrooms
- Around 12,500 new public charter school spaces
"I ask our school boards to work with Alberta education and their respective municipalities to move projects forward as quickly as possible. The faster you can complete the planning and design work, the quicker your project can begin construction," said Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education.
He added that the province wants to begin purchasing the new modular classroom in Budget 2024, in addition to the 100 modules the government ordered in July that will be delivered by the end of this year.
Minister of Infrastructure Peter Guthrie, also a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Airdrie-Cochrane, noted that today's announcement would also immediately change the government's funding process.
"... Which will shorten timelines for construction approval. From now on, funding for projects ready to proceed to the next stage can be approved in a year without waiting for the next budget cycle. This means previously approved schools currently in planning or design can move to the next stage as soon as they're ready."
On Tuesday evening, Premier Danielle Smith addressed the province, highlighting Alberta’s economic boom, which has led to substantial investments and a surge in job openings and new residents. However, she acknowledged the significant challenges facing the province's educational system due to unprecedented student enrollment growth, citing that student enrollment is rising by approximately 33,000 annually.
The accelerator program she announced yesterday will increase the K-12 capital budget to $8.6 billion over three years. The plan also includes funding for modular classrooms, a charter school accelerator program, and incentives for nonprofit private schools.
Premier Smith described this initiative as “quite literally the fastest and largest build” the province can manage, considering the available construction workforce and the time required for permitting and site preparation. The program will also address immediate needs with specialized modular classrooms, providing over 20,000 new student spaces in the next four years.
In response, the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) stated Wednesday evening that the new school builds are 'overdue and necessary'. It stressed that while the investment in infrastructure is a positive step, further investments in teachers and students are also needed.
The ATA indicated they would provide a more detailed response later.
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