To keep up with growth, Rocky View Schools (RVS) suggests the division needs a new school every two to three years. If the school board was able to fulfill that projection, it would mean there would be between three and five new schools over the next decade. Consider Fireside School, which opened a year ago and is one of the most recent school builds in the jurisdiction, It cost just shy of $18 million. Conceivably, that means RVS could potentially spend up to $100 million on new schools over the next decade. Taxpayers keeping an eye on ballooning provincial debt levels, might be feeling chest pains reviewing the number and understanding it represents only one of 63 school boards in Alberta. In 2016, the Alberta Government budgeted $3.5 billion for school projects through to 2021. But what are the alternatives? According to Todd Brand, chair of RVS, there aren't many other options. Alberta as a whole continues to grow. Despite continued doomsday messages about our economy, our population numbers are rising. At the beginning of 2014, the provincial population was a little more than four million, today it is 4.3 million. According to ATB Financial, while our growth has slowed considerably compared to the three per cent growth rates that marked the start of the decade, at 1.5 per cent we continue to outpace the national average of 1.4 per cent. Alberta is also the third fastest growing province, marginally behind Ontario and Prince Edward Island that recorded a growth rate of 1.8 per cent. In terms of that growth, the communities that comprise RVS are among those seeing a major part of that population increase, which is contributing approximately 1,000 new students a year. So, if we know we need X number of schools to accommodate growth, why are we not building larger schools to cut down on construction costs? Brand says a number of factors come into play. The first is the amount of land communities are designating for school sites, which logistically can only accommodate a certain number of schools. Second is logistics. Brand said the district is already building some of the largest schools in Alberta – Fireside and RancheView schools for example can handle around 900 students. The bigger the school the greater challenges there are in terms of traffic congestion and student transportation. Larger schools draw from a wider area and therefore result in increased transportation costs. Third is philosophy. The above logistics, while not ideal, could probably be navigated, but the question then becomes does the board want schools with 1,500 students. Brand says no and adds the province wouldn't be on board with school populations of that size either. Parents also want schools in their communities, he said. It's a tough issue and ultimately it comes down to sustainability. While we agree with Brand that education is vital and the need to have student spaces is a necessity and ultimately a basic right, there will come a breaking point from constructing school after school. Not only do we have to consider the construction costs, but also future maintenance costs. It's time to get creative while maintaining the integrity of public education. In the digital age could we possibly incorporate technology and alleviate the need for more schools through the use of remote classrooms and shared facilities?
