Dear Editor,
What happened to the democratic process for school development in Okotoks?
The constituents of Okotoks should have input for splitting Foothills Composite High School (FCHS) into two smaller high schools and in the locations they are built.
The difference between an Okotoks option and the Aldersyde option is that the MD of Foothills constituents voted for and chose to live in the country; they chose to bus their children to school.
Those of us who choose to live in Okotoks verses the MD did not choose this busing option nor did we in any way have an opportunity to vote for the Aldersyde option.
Have we overlooked the importance of FCHS and its significance to the fabric of Okotoks? FCHS is more than just a place to learn, it is part of what we are as a community and part of our history.
Therefore we need to re-evaluate our decisions today because they will affect what type of community we will have in the future.
By going ahead with this two smaller high school plan (unratified by Okotoks voters) we will:
1. Divide Okotoks and its resources.
2. Stretch families financially to provide transportation for schools extra-curricular activities, sport practises and events.
3. Marginalize programs that require larger schools resources and volunteers. FCHS programs such as RAP, the fine arts, language arts, sports and the Falcon football programs could be marginalized or divided up between two smaller schools with fewer resources and less volunteers.
4. Increased traffic on a congested Highway 7 will increase accidents and carbon emissions. Our Environmental stewardship should be to preserve land, to build “in” communities verses “outside” and thereby reducing emissions.
5. “Aldersyde High” will be built in a sea of Industrial/Commercial zoned land much like Alcatraz Prison was built on an island surrounded by sea to prevent prisoners from escaping. No kid will wander out of “Alcatraz High” for fear of being run over by a cattle liner or cement mixer, not to mention the seven km hike home.
Many agree with the Mayor, a “good-sized high school” does require more land than the current Alcatraz Proposal.
It would have been nice to have had six acres of land when the School Division built Westmount, maybe we could have avoided the situation we are in today, if we had a bigger Westmount.
Clearly, we need to emphasize to the Town the urgency to designate more land for schools with developers.
So, how do we maintain school programs with a growing population that desperately needs resources for all students? My suggestions are simplified because my lack of knowledge with the intergovernmental goings on, standards and policies. Here it goes…
1. FCHS not too long ago was slated to go through a major upgrade. Let’s build a school that can handle up 1500-1600 students at the existing FCHS site.
2. Upgrade any of the K-9 schools and increase K-9 capacity. This would require the Town to give up some recreation land to the School Division. Most schools could be expanded; we just have to have the political will and creativity to do it.
3. When FCHS is nearing the 1,500 student capacity we build another larger capacity High School at the 32 Street site. This will preserve larger programs and won’t starve the new school for students and resources.
4. The Town immediately finds some land to build another K-9 school in the south east region of Okotoks.
Let’s build our Okotoks accounting for true community growth that respects democracy, programs and traditions.
Monte Christensen
Okotoks
