The public will have its chance to provide input when Rocky View Schools Board holds a series of open houses and public forums on the proposed attendance areas of the new Sagewood middle school and Prairie Springs high school.
Both schools are currently under construction and are expected to open their doors in the fall of 2014.
The decision as to the students who will attend is something Airdrie Trustee Don Thomas believes is going to be a contentious issue for many parents.
“The last time we had a public forum of this nature it got quite heated,” Thomas explained. “People feel very strongly about these issues and it’s going to take a lot of discussion to ensure that we get this right. Of course we aren’t going to be able to make everyone happy, but we can’t shy away from the matter.”
With Ralph McCall School slated to reduce its numbers by close to 400 students through the elimination of grades 5 through 8 next year, it is expected that many of those displaced students will be sent to the new Sagewood school, which will accommodate 900 students.
The new Prairie Springs high school is also expected to help reduce the large population of students at both George McDougall and Bert Church high schools by taking on a proposed 1,000 students.
“Many of our schools have overflow problems,” Thomas said. “We have a large youth population in Airdrie and our schools are doing their very best to house these large numbers. Parents have to be understanding that we are going to have to make some hard decisions.”
With talks planned to begin in the new year, Thomas is hopeful for a speedy but not hasty resolution.
“I have every confidence that a good decision will be made,” he noted. “Is the final decision going to be perfect? Probably not, but we have to move on. In the end though, I feel that the decision we come to will be the right one for everyone.”
