Consolidated East Wheatland School top priority of school division

Times Contributor

 

The Golden Hills School Division (GHSD) board of trustees voted in favour of pursuing a stand-alone consolidated school for K-12 students from the Gleichen, Hussar, Standard and Rockyford areas at their March 27 meeting.

About two dozen community members attended the portion of the meeting that dealt with the proposal.

The school board initiated a consultation process earlier in the year that also included a working group made up of representatives from the East Wheatland region.

“Location was a very big issue,” said Bevan Daverne, GHSD superintendent. “East Wheatland area is very large.”

Daverne spoke to the board about the consultation process and how the working group, which also reached out to the communities, reached their recommendation.

“The working group was a good representation of those communities,” he said.

First the group determined that a stand-alone K-12 school was the most favoured, though many thought that Standard may also be a good location. The group then looked at the best location, not the most favoured location, Daverne said.

Ride times for students taking buses dropped an average of 20 per cent based on the proposed location for the school, which is somewhere along Highway 561 between the junctions with Highway 840 (south of Standard) and 842 (south of Chancellor), a six mile wide area.

Daverne also addressed some of the questions that have been raised as part of the process and a public meeting on March 19. A past estimate of costs for water and sewer for a stand-alone school were $2.6 million, while the current estimate for similar work is approximately $500,000. The school division previously received quotes from contractors and this time they got quotes directly from construction companies and also other schools for operating costs.

“All of these are ball park estimates,” Daverne said, adding that a site will need to be selected before a proper estimate can be made.

Trustee Janet Bolinger asked when the school division will learn about capital funding from the province. Daverne explained that with a provincial election coming up, there is no indication of when Alberta Education will review and approve funding.

After approval of funding, the process of getting a new school in place can take two to three years, said Don Hartman, GHSD facilities manager.

Another concern was the cost and feasibility of building a school that meets a silver LEEDS (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, required by the province for new buildings. A flat site with no drainage issues would be similar to having the site located in a community in terms of how it would affect that certification, he said. New portable classrooms, for example, meet the silver LEEDS certification, he added.

The board then debated how to proceed with a motion on making the East Wheatland consolidated K-12 school a capital project priority.

Trustee Robert McKay entered a motion to proceed, but did not want to use the specific area defined by the working group, stating that the school could end up where it is not fully utilized by locals.

Trustee Karen Harries argued that the board should proceed with the recommendation of the working group, made up of parents and community members.

The board carried a motion to amend McKay’s motion to include that area and he was the only trustee who voted against, due to the amendment. 

The board later carried a motion to make the East Wheatland School project their top priority for capital projects. A new school in Strathmore was set as the second priority because the board wants to ensure the East Wheatland school project moves forward as soon as possible.

Should the province approve funding for the project in the future, a specific location will be chosen.

Hussar Parent Council chairperson Corey Ann Sandum and Central Bow Valley President Cara Sheppard expressed displeasure, along with other school council representatives, that McKay voted against the recommendation of the workgroup, despite a clear consensus on the proposed area.

“I am very disappointed in the vote of our representative,” she said.

The school division website (www.ghsd75.ca) features a link on the front page called East Wheatland Information that has documents relating to the process and also an FAQ.

The proposed school is slated to serve 350-400 students.