The Alberta government is moving ahead with tender packages for the design and construction of five new schools, including a Catholic kindergarten to Grade 9 school in south Edmonton and another in Cochrane.
The five schools that will be built are a Catholic and public kindergarten to Grade 9 school in the Windermere-Keswick neighbourhood of Edmonton, as well as schools in Cochrane, Calgary and Legal. The provincial investment in the schools is estimated at $100 million.
“Accelerating these five new school projects is an important part of Alberta’s plan to stimulate our economy,” Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said in a statement. “These new schools will provide our children with modern places to learn that will lay the foundation for their futures while also getting Albertans back to work.”
The request for proposals will begin April 30 with construction to began in September. The schools are expected to be ready for the 2022 school year.
The provincial government has also accepted Red Deer Catholic Schools’ application for two modular classrooms for École Our Lady of the Rosary School in Sylvan Lake. The division will receive its modular classrooms this summer.
These two modular classrooms will allow École Our Lady of the Rosary School to become Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 4 and École Mother Teresa School Grade 5-9 as of September 2020. Currently those two schools have 369 students and 513 respectively.
This will provide more classroom availability at École Mother Teresa School allowing for more flexibility in overall timetabling of students and teachers in instructional spaces.
“We are thankful that the government gave approval for two additional modulars so class adjustments can be made to alleviate some of the pressure of limited spatial growth at École Mother Teresa School. In addition, the Three-Year Capital Plan includes the request to Alberta Education for a new Kindergarten – Grade 5 school in Sylvan Lake by 2025 to address the needs of the community,” trustee Dorraine Lonsdale said in a statement.
The school division says Catholic education continues to grow in Sylvan Lake and this school year, with 1.7 per cent growth.