Rocky View Schools (RVS) has engaged in a multi-party collaboration to address the future demand for additional high schools in Airdrie through a proposed agreement that would allocate 168 acres of land toward the build of eight new high schools by the year 2065.
During a regular board meeting on Oct. 7, the RVS trustees endorsed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Airdrie, Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD), the Francophone school division in southern Alberta (FrancoSud) and BILD Calgary Region.
The five-party agreement lays the groundwork for providing high school sites in Airdrie for the next 45 years. However, not all school builds would be under RVS’ jurisdiction, and so each party involved will agree to provide land or funds toward the initiative.
According to Colette Winter, the director of facility planning with RVS, the MOU is the result of the five parties’ effective collaboration as the High School Land Assembly, which began meeting in February.
“The reason we met was back in December 2019, the Airdrie Reserves Agreement outlined 10 per cent of the reserve is being used for schools and parks within the city of Airdrie,” she said. “As part of the agreement, we always knew there was a question mark when it came to high school sites.”
Winter said there weren’t enough reserves to allow for all levels of school sites to be built in Airdrie, including elementary, middle, and high school sites. The school division recognized the need for additional discussion regarding the future of high school sites in Airdrie and developed the committee.
“The plan is to provide high school sites for the next 45 years, which seems like a long way away, but in planning, we try to ensure that we’re planning [for the] long term,” she said. “We know there's a lot of young people here in Airdrie and that we have to be prepared for them.”
She added the district anticipates a continued growth in high school students in the coming years.
“Even today, at 2021, our numbers for enrolment are above what we have for capacity, which is not surprising because we are expecting modular units on both Bert Church as well as W.H. Croxford this year,” she said.
Winter added the City of Airdrie and BILD Calgary Region have already reviewed the recommended land assembly solution and accepted the MOU in principle. She added the MOU will be brought to CCSD and FrancoSud officials for review in the coming weeks.
“With this [plan] we will be prepared, the City of Airdrie will be prepared over the long run for high school sites, which has not always been the case here in Airdrie,” Winter said, adding the plan allocates for builds within residential areas rather than commercial or industrial areas, where land is often available.
Ward 3 (Airdrie) Trustee Todd Brand added the MOA sets the board up as best as possible to ensure the needs for high school sites are secured in a “fair and equitable manner,” with each partner playing an appropriate role in the process.
“For an MOA to accomplish that, to me, is a pretty significant step,” Brand said. “At the end of the day, is this plan in the best interest of students, the City of Airdrie, and RVS? In my opinion, this plan does meet those criteria.
“This would be the best way forward to help ensure good site location for our future high school sites.”
Similarly, Ward 6 trustee and board chair Fiona Gilbert said she is proud of RVS when hearing words such as ‘partnership,’ ‘collaboration,’ and ‘compromise’ in finding solutions to the district's capacity concerns.
“RVS is modelling [these attributes] for our students as we are asking them to do similar kinds of things in the work they do,” she said. “To come together as a team of experts in the planning with [The City of Airdrie] and with all of the schools to come up with what appears to be a workable solution, a replicable and workable solutions that we’re all committed to, I think it’s awesome.
“I appreciate all the hard work that’s come into play, and I understand there will likely be amendments along the way as we work through to find the solution for the future of students and residents of Airdrie.”
Following the approval of the MOA, the board will attend to minor revisions, a legal review, and finally, public signing and implementation.
Carmen Cundy, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @carmenrcundy
