New schools planned for southern Alberta

The province has announced the construction of four new schools in southern Alberta communities.

The new schools are:

• A public kindergarten to Grade 8 school in Cochrane for up to 900 students.
• A Catholic kindergarten to Grade 9 school in Davisburg for up to 600 students.
• A public kindergarten to Grade 12 school in Wheatland for up to 450 students.
• A public elementary school in west Lethbridge for up to 600 students.

A fifth school, an elementary, will be built in Blackfalds, north of Red Deer and a school in Three Hills called Prairie Christian Academy will be modernized. The schools will serve 3,050 students once complete.

As part of the provincial budget announced earlier this year, the provincial government is spending $503 million over three years, which it says will pay for the construction of 50 new schools and the modernization of 70 more.

Meanwhile,some schools boards are facing cutsto deal with tightoperating budgets.

The budget sets aside $6.1 billion in operating and property tax support to public and separate school boards across the provinceon par with last year. But Calgary Board of Education chair Pat Cochrane said theyhad been promised a two per cent funding increase.

Therehave alsobeen some program cuts. Among them, the province has eliminated the $41-million Alberta Initiative for School Improvement. The program encouraged teachers and parents to think of creative ways to improve education. Its budget was cut in half in 2011 and has now been eliminated completely.

MAP: New schoolsplanned for Alberta

Source: Alberta Education