CBE still waiting for work to begin on Evanston High School

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More than two years after funding was announced for the construction of a new high school in Evanston, the Calgary Board of Education still does not have shovels in the ground for the much-needed project touted to add 900 spaces for students.

According to a construction update presented to trustees this week, only three public school projects are underway in a system that has seen historic growth, two of which have yet to receive full funding or an estimated completion date.

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Currently, only the Louise Dean School project is scheduled for completion this fall, a $10 million relocation and expansion of the teen mothers program from its former site in Kensington to Jack James High School.

John Diefenbaker High School, which received approval for a $36 million modernization in March 2023, has not yet received any money, with only a “pre-design report” completed in December and discussions ongoing “about next steps.” with Alberta Infrastructure.

And for the $38 million high school in Evanston approved in March 2022, up to 90 percent of “design and construction” funding has been received. But officials say work has not yet begun and a completion date has not been determined.

“Evanston High School has not yet broken ground, more than two years after the provincial government announced its full funding in March 2022,” said trustee Susan Vukadinovic.

“The CBE is running out of space for students. “We are full now and urgently need new schools built in the communities of our growing city.”

Dany Breton, CBE facilities superintendent, explained there can be a lag between when the province announces the funding and when the CBE receives it. Additionally, the CBE continues to work on permit approvals with the City of Calgary.

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“We are currently awaiting development permits from the city,” Breton said this week.

“The city establishes requirements that the developer must meet. Then there is a dialogue between the city and the developer about what adjustments need to be made.

Breton said he is hopeful there will be shovels in the ground in the coming weeks.

“The process has been underway for a while, but I am optimistic that we will receive those permits imminently and you will see work at that site.”

As student enrollment grows by the thousands, schools desperately need

The slow progress in construction comes at a time when CBE faces an unprecedented increase in enrollment, overcrowding and space shortages that are expected to continue in the coming years.

After welcoming more than 7,000 new children in 2023-24, bringing total enrollment to a record 138,244, CBE projects a total of 146,294 students in 2024-25, meaning an additional 8,050 children.

And in 2025-26, the CBE projects a total of 153,193 students, 6,899 additional children, reaching another all-time high.

In total, in the next two years the CBE expects to recruit another 14,800 students, more than the 13,000 received in the previous two record years.

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Still, from the UCP’s 2024 budget announced this spring, the CBE received full funding for the construction of just one new school, a new K-4 school in Evanston, among 12 other full construction approvals across Alberta.

Three other desperately needed schools received design-only funding: a middle school in Cornerstone, a K-4 elementary school in Redstone and a modernization at Annie Gale, a grade 6-9 school in Whitehorn, meaning no There is no certainty when construction will begin.

As a result, CBE officials have quadrupled the number of high-priority projects in its three-year capital plan unveiled last month, going from six projects listed last year to 21 this year.

‘One new school a year is not enough for Calgarians’

Vukadinovic said the CBE is still waiting for confirmation from Alberta Infrastructure on next steps for the new elementary school in Evanston, as well as the various projects that have received only limited funding for planning or design.

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“Speed ​​of delivery is key,” Vukadinovic said.

“I would like to see the Government of Alberta demonstrate greater agility in responding to growth pressures in Calgary’s public education system.

“I’m concerned the provincial government will be distracted by unnecessary side projects.”

Vukadinovic estimates that last year CBE had 3,900 children waiting for the province to approve a school in their neighborhood.

“But instead of 3,900 student places, the CBE received approval for only 600 student places. We are getting full funding for the construction of just one of the new schools that were on our capital planning list last year.

“And one new school a year is not enough for Calgarians.”

As a result of enrollment growth, Vukadinovic added, the CBE actually needs funding for 11,400 student places or 13 new schools and major modernization.

“I am concerned that the current provincial government is falling further and further behind in building new schools for Calgarians,” he said.

“Calgarians are hard-working people who pay their fair share of taxes and look forward to schools being built in their neighborhoods.”

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Province builds new schools “as quickly as possible”: Minister of Education

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides has said the province is moving forward with as many school projects as possible, including 18 in the Calgary area, six of which have received full funding for construction, with others receiving funding for planning and design.

In addition to the CBE Elementary School in Evanston, those projects include a high school in the Rangeview community for the Calgary Catholic School District, a new French-speaking school in Calgary, as well as schools for Airdrie, Cochrane and Chestermere in Rocky View Schools . district.

“We are working to build new schools as quickly as possible in Alberta’s fastest-growing communities,” Nicolaides said this week.

“Through Budget 2024, we will invest $2.1 billion over the next three years to build 43 schools across the province, including 11 in Calgary.

“These new schools in Calgary will provide more than 4,500 new spaces for students.”

CBE officials added that schools that received funding approvals before Evanston High School, in 2018 and 2019, also took some time, with most opening in the 2022-23 school year, including Mahogany School, Bayside School, Lakeshore School and Prairie Sky School.

And North Trail High School opened for this academic year, in the fall of 2023.

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