Fiona Gilbert came out of the gate this week with the announcement that she will seek re-election as a public school trustee for Rocky View Schools (RVS) for the 2017-21 term.
“A trustee puts the public in public education. We are elected by the public to represent parents and students … to ensure the local voice is heard,” explained Gilbert regarding how she views her role as elected official for Ward 6 – Cochrane.
The mother of two boys, now ages 11 and 13, was motivated to run last term due to the growing pains Cochrane and its schools were facing.
Her volunteerism on Glenbow School Council provided further insights into a growth phase for Cochrane schools with no end in sight. She knew before getting on the school bus that it would take tenacity and hard work to tackle these needs and address parental concerns.
“I’ve lived it … I understand – it’s what prompted me to put my name in the last election, as my own kids were getting shuffled through the system.”
Through her term, which was first under the guidance of a ministry under the PC Party and now under the NDP, she has helped facilitate some major shifts within the Cochrane elementary and middle school system with the opening of RancheView School and the soon-to-be-open Fireside School – both of which are anticipated to reach capacity within three years of opening.
The French Immersion program expansion into Glenbow School for the 2017-18 school year due to increasing demand and the grade configuration at Mitford Middle School has also taken up considerable time.
With additional grade configurations at several of the public schools in Cochrane this coming school year, Gilbert knows there is much work to be done to aid the transitions and to facilitate school communities before the doors of new schools even open.
“We need a new school site by the end of this construction season so we can make that announcement at the next (spring) budget,” she said, adding that while the Heritage Hills site is preferred, “we will take what we can get.”
The current capital plan includes two K-9 schools for Cochrane before a new high school. Gilbert said the goal would be to have these two schools open by 2021 and 2022. Gilbert said the current plan is to build an addition onto Bow Valley High School to accommodate around 300 more students.
The town is working on future high school sites, with one identified on the land north of Heritage Hills, that the town is in the process of annexing from Rocky View County.
Her best guess is a new high school for Cochrane is still seven to nine years out, but the capital plan is reviewed annually.
“We are fortunate in Cochrane to have great schools and I want to ensure that this continues,” said Gilbert in a recent email. “As our community continues to grow, enrolment pressures, diverse student and family needs, and demands on teachers and school staff will also continue to grow. I want to ensure that plans and funds are in place to support this.”
The RVS division is divided into six wards with seven representatives, which will be expanded to eight representative for this election due to growing populations in Airdrie and Chestermere.
Current chair Colleen Munro (Ward 5, Rural Cochrane/Westbrook) and trustees Sylvia Eggerer (Ward 3, Airdrie) and Bev LaPeare (Ward 2, Chestermere) will be stepping down after this term.
