There's reason to celebrate today with the announcement of full funding for a new K to 8 students in the Rivercrest community of Cochrane.

It's one of the five new school projects announced in Rocky View School Division, three of them receiving full funding, by Education minister Demetrios Nicolaides.

Also announced for RVS was:

  • Full construction funding for an Airdrie Kindergarten – Grade 8 school (South Windsong)
  • Full construction funding for an Airdrie Kindergarten – Grade 8 school (Bayview)
  • Design funding for an Airdrie high school (Southwinds)
  • Design funding for a Chestermere Kindergarten – Grade 9 school (Dawson’s Landing)

“These have been long-awaited as top priorities for RVS and are crucial for providing relief in our most crowded schools in Airdrie, Cochrane and Chestermere,” states Fiona Gilbert, RVS school board chair. “Today's announcement marks a positive step forward as we plan for the rapidly increasing student population in these communities.”

With an expected average utilization of 101 per cent by 2028 across RVS, several schools are projected to significantly exceed this rate.

“These figures are not just numbers; they represent real challenges to providing the high-quality learning environment every student deserves,” states Gilbert. “The new schools will help, but they will not solely resolve the space challenges faced in RVS. The Government of Alberta will need to continue to fund additional new schools for construction every year for the foreseeable future and provide new modulars and relocation funding to use as temporary spaces while the division waits for new schools to open.”

Infrastructure minister Peter Guthrie, also Airdrie-Cochrane MLA, couldn't resist the temptation of drawing attention to the projects approved in his constituency.

"I know the minister mentioned those, but I think it's worth pumping the tires just a little bit more on that," said Guthrie.

“Our government is helping students to hit the ground running, and the capital projects added in Budget 2024 continue that trajectory," states Guthrie. More than a dozen schools will be completed this year, and we look forward to seeing students filling the halls in short order. Alberta schools are built to last for 75 years, which ensures that children will benefit from our investments for generations to come.”

The 2024 Alberta budget includes funding for 28 new schools, 10 replacement schools and five modernizations.

With an additional 43 projects included in this year’s budget, the government is funding a total of 98 school projects in various stages across the province.