A group of parents hope to work with the Town of Okotoks and the Foothills School Division to bring one new large public high school within the community.
Tanya Perrett, representing a delegation of approximately 10 parents at Okotoks town council’s Oct. 13 public meeting, asked council to work with the division to find a way to build just one new high school, preferably on 32 Street across from Holy Trinity Academy. The division is currently planning to build two new high schools in the Okotoks area, one in Aldersyde by the Crescent Point Field House and the second on the 32 Street site.
Perrett told councillors the school division’s “hands were tied” when it opted to build a new Foothills Composite High School in Aldersyde.
“Okotoks has been growing for years,” Perrett told council. “Why did this happen?”
Alberta Education approved a potentially 1,800-student school near Aldersyde in March. Initial plans were to build a 650-student high school at Aldersyde while the present Foothills Composite High School would be a split campus of K-9 and high school. Eventually, the Aldersyde site would be expanded and all the high school students would be under one roof, while the former Composite would become a K-9 school.
The March announcement raised concerns with the Town, with Mayor Bill Robertson publicly stating he wished the new high school to be in Okotoks. However, he admitted it could be several years before land for a school would be available.
In late August the Town conditionally bought 40 acres on the Wedderburn lands, directly west of Holy Trinity Academy, for the purpose of an educational, recreation and cultural campus — and the desire to have the Aldersyde proposal moved to the site bordering Okotoks.
As a result, the school division has indicated it would build a 900-student school at Aldersyde and another 900-student school at the Wedderburn lands – pending approval of that site with Alberta Education.
Perrett said she and several parents would prefer one school at the Wedderburn site, expressing concerns about traffic along Highway 7 for the Aldersyde site and it being located in an industrial area.
She said she would like to have parents, school trustees and councillors meet to come to a solution.
Monte Christensen, an Okotoks resident with four children, told council he would prefer to have one large high school, preferably in Okotoks. He told council two new schools would be a strain on the tax base.
“As a taxpayer, I don’t want my tax base to erode,” Christensen said in an interview. “To keep building small schools in a fast growing community… Council agreed that over time our tax base will erode.
“Combined with the fact we don’t want to haul all of our kids into the middle of an industrial-commercial area.”
In a letter to councillors, he questioned why it took so long for the Wedderburn proposal.
“Why is it that only after the school division has found a new dance partner for school development do we… the Town finally come to the table with some land?” he wrote.
Okotoks CAO Rick Quail said there are still some hurdles to jump before the land is purchased, including environmental testing and further subdivision plans being made. However, if the school site is approved he said construction could start as early as September 2016.
Perrett, who is part of a group called Parents Unite, said the group hopes to meet with the school division in the near future.
“We aren’t here to fight, we want to help,” Perrett said in an interview. “I’m really happy that they can go ahead and build by 2016 (pending the proper approvals).”
Drew Chipman, Foothills School Division assistant superintendent-corporate services, said it is premature for Alberta Education to look at the 32 Avenue proposal.
“We’ve still got two schools on the books one at Aldersyde and one at 32 Avenue, but we’re looking for additional information from the town council,” Chipman said.
