Construction of 10 new schools funded in Alberta budget

The Alberta government is starting construction on 10 new schools in Calgary, Chestermere, Edmonton, Airdrie and Cochrane this year. 

The new facilities include a new public school for grades 7 to 12 in south Edmonton, and a new Catholic high school in the Calgary neighbourhood of Rangeview. 

Money has also been allocated to modernize École Corinthia Park elementary school in Leduc and build a new K to 9 Catholic school in Edmonton's Rundle Heights neighbourhood, which will replace and consolidate three existing schools into one. 

The budget allocates $2.1 billion over three years to build and modernize Alberta schools. Budget 2024, introduced in the legislature on Thursday, will fund 43 priority school projects in various stages of construction and planning — 18 in the Calgary region and 14 in the Edmonton area. Other projects will be announced in the near future. 

The province also wants to spend $103 million over three years to set up modular classrooms to ease overcrowding in existing schools. 

Premier Danielle Smith defended her government's decision not to spend more. She said Albertans don't want tax increases, they want their taxes to go down.

 "We've got to make sure that we can live within the very substantial means that we get from Albertans," she said. 

"And that we've got to find new ways of doing business so that we can continue to grow, but not see our expenses year-over-year outstrip what we can afford to pay."

The chair of one of the province's large metro boards said the province's announcement is a good start but much more needs to be done. 

Laura Hack, chair of the Calgary Board of Education, thanked the government for funding her board's top priority — a new K to 4 school in the Evanston neighbourhood. 

While the board is grateful for the announcements, Hack said the critical need for schools still remains. 

"Over the past two years, Calgary Board of Education has welcomed more than 13,000 additional students to our system," she said. 

"That's enough to fill more than 22 elementary schools and we continue to enrol students every day."

Her comments were echoed by Julie Kusiek, chair of the Edmonton Public School Board.