Foothills School Division is holding its first public meeting likely in early May regarding new school boundaries for after the new K-9 school in north Okotoks opens in the fall of 2019.
“We will be holding some initial meetings and starting the whole process to engage the public,” said Larry Albrecht, Foothills School Division chairperson. “Right now, we are going in there with a blank slate. That is why we are looking for that initial public meeting — boundary changes could have ramifications anywhere and we don’t want to presume anything.
“That is why we wanted to get started as quickly as possible. “
Construction has started on the K-9 school located along 32 Street, across from Holy Trinity Academy.
Drew Chipman, division assistant superintendent-corporate services, said tentative timelines for setting the boundaries were presented to trustees at their April 11 public meeting in High River.
“The first meeting will be to let people know here’s how the public can provide input — really the majority of the work (concerning boundaries) will be done next school year,” Chipman said.
At present, the K-9 Westmount School, located in southwest Okotoks continues to have the highest utilization rate percentage-wise in the community, according to Chipman.
However, he anticipates the school boundaries north of the Sheep River will likely be the most affected.
“The growth in D’Arcy Ranch is in the north with that new development, so primarily it will be the schools on the north side of the river,” Chipman said.
All proposals are on the table.
“We don’t have a plan in place that we are ready to roll out, we want to make it public consultation — that is the process and we try not to pre-propose how things are going to turn out,” Chipman said. “It will be meaningful consultation.”
The board approval for the boundary changes is expected in March of 2019.
When boundary changes were made for Westmount School for the 2015-16 school year, it was done after extensive public consultation, Chipman said.
A boundary committee concerning the new K to Grade 9 school, consisting of trustees, school administrators and the public will be selected in the fall.
Rebecca Forchuk, the division’s director of staff development, was named the school’s principal in March. She will start her principal’s role in August.
A name for the new school should be selected sometime this spring.
The K-9 school, which is part of a future community campus-recreation area joint effort with the Town of Okotoks, came after an initial proposal in 2015 to move Foothills Composite High School to the Aldersyde area near the Crescent Point Regional Field House. A proposal for a public K-9 school on land to be purchased by the Town for a campus-recreation centre on the Wedderburn lands along 32 Street was announced in October 2015.
Foothills Comp will remain at its present location and continue to offer the extensive Career and Technology Studies.
