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Provincial funding may allow for additional student spaces in Cochrane schools

“One of the biggest considerations ought to be need and growth and I think that would be Rocky View pretty near the top of the list,” Baziuk said. “I would really hope that we are considered.”
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Rocky View Schools has requested 31 modular units from the provincial government to help ease capacity pressures in the district.

ROCKY VIEW COUNTY— Recently announced funding for modular units made available in Alberta Budget 2021 has the potential for Rocky View Schools to create additional student spaces.

The provincial government has earmarked $60 million in funds for additional modular classrooms and Rocky View Schools will be requesting 31 units in total.

Superintendent Greg Luterbach estimated that between 25 per cent to 33 per cent of Rocky View students are in modular classrooms.

“These are prevalent in all of our schools,” Luterbach said. “We’ve got modulars at some of our schools that have been there now for decades.”

He noted, typically school districts would have found out the number of units they would receive by this time, but they are still waiting for a final funding amount from the provincial government.

School boards across the province are required to provide a list of requested modulars to the provincial government by the end of November. These units can be relocated from other schools or brand new.

Originally, at the end of October, the Rocky View Schools board requested eight existing modulars be moved to new schools and funding for 13 new units. These requests included six relocations to Bow Valley High School and two to Manachaban Middle School and two new units to be built at Manachaban Middle School and one at Bow Valley High School.

The updated modular requests are asking for an additional four units at Fireside School and two units at Mitford School. An additional unit for Bow Valley High School was also included in the updated request.

Director of Facility Planning Colette Winter said school districts typically learn in February about what modular units they will be receiving, this year the board is still awaiting final funding confirmation from the provincial government.

They are trying to prepare projects based on assumptions, but there is a risk because they have applied for development permits for schools who may not receive a unit. This was necessary to ensure modular units could be put in place for September.

Winters added if Rocky View Schools were to start the process when they hear from the government, she doubted there would be any chance to have modular units in place for September.

“For many of these there cannot be an expectation that these units are going to be on the school for September,” Winters said. “We’re trying our best— It’s going to have to be late into the school year because of how late this is.”

The announcement on the modular units is expected soon, but no firm date has been provided to the district from the provincial government.

Modular classrooms serve as a way to help alleviate capacity pressures some schools may be facing.

Winters explained districts try to build schools before the peak of a school-age population. She used Fireside School as an example, the capacity of the school is for about 700 students and portables allows the school to build out to a larger capacity of 900.

Over time student populations can increase but they will eventually reach a peak and start to decrease allowing the units to be removed to adjust to community needs.

“We built schools with the anticipation of being able to put modular units on to the school to have that ebb and flow of what schools need,” Winters said.

She added every detail in a school has been sized appropriately to allow for a build-out capacity, whereas schools like Bow Valley and Manachaban are now over capacity even with modulars.

“We can manage the students in the school but it’s not optimal,” Winters said.

Board Chair Fiona Gilbert said the modulars are part of school infrastructure.

“They're just part of the school,” Gilbert said. “We anticipated right from the get-go of structure of that school to add those modulars— We’re building up to the capacity.”

Each school has a unique story, she said, and in some cases like with Bow Valley High School what is needed is new schools, not just modular units to accommodate the growth.

“We have to be flexible to provide those spaces,” Gilbert said.

In this case, modulars can be used to accommodate growth when new schools are not available in the area.

She was grateful to see additional funds announced by the provincial government, especially because next year school boards will not receive as much funding for modulars.

Ward One Trustee Shali Baziuk said the provincial government has said, “They have taken politics out of capital infrastructure,” and she hopes this is true.

While modular units are a “band-aid” solution in her opinion, Baziuk said, and the district is desperately in need of additional learning spaces.

Budget 2021 was disappointing because Rocky View Schools saw no funds for schools, when it is critical to receive support for new schools in the growing district.

She added she is hopeful the increase in modular funding will take Rocky View Schools' exponential growth into account.

“One of the biggest considerations ought to be need and growth and I think that would be Rocky View pretty near the top of the list,” Baziuk said. “I would really hope that we are considered.”

Ward Three Melyssa Bowen said she is grateful for the opportunity to add to requests for units. 

“We’re in a bit of a year that is an anomaly, but previous to that we would have grown by 932 students the year before that— That’s approximately 40 modular units,” Bowen said. “The need is there.”

 
 
 
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