BGSD approves new three-year capital plan

LEDUC -- The BGSD has submitted its new three-year capital plan to Alberta Education for approval. 

The new plan sets out the Division's fiscal priorities for major school projects, with a focus on the safety of existing school facilities, enrollment pressures, and modernization needs. For their new capital plan for 2027-2030, the Black Gold School Division outlines three priority tiers, with the first including plans for a new Kindergarten to Grade 9 school for the west side of Leduc. 

"The top priority remains a new school in the City of Leduc," said Chelsey Volkman, Associate Superintendent with the BGSD. "Overall utilization of our schools in Leduc is 87 per cent, and if we look specifically on the west side of Leduc, which we've defined as west of Highway 2, it's 94 per cent."

Volkman says that due to limited Kindergarten to Grade 9 capacity on the west side of Leduc, students residing in four west Leduc neighbourhoods are currently directed to schools located east of Highway 2 for their K-9 education. As a result, students living in west Leduc are required to attend schools outside of their immediate community and travel across a major transportation corridor.

She adds that the construction of a new school -- anticipated to be in the Black Stone neighbourhood -- will help address existing capacity pressures, reduce student displacement across Highway 2, and support the continued residential growth in west Leduc by providing closer access to K-9 programming for students and families in the area. The new school is expected to cost $49.9 million.

Meantime, other priority projects include plans for the expansion and modernization of East Elementary School. If approved by Alberta Education, this would see the facility completely revamped and a right-sizing of the school to a 450-student capacity to accommodate future enrollment growth. Another project included in the plan is the modernization of Robina Baker Elementary School in Devon.

"This was also based off a 2021 feasibility study that was done by an external contractor," said Volkman. "The proposed project includes upgrades to mechanical and electrical systems, along with a modernization of existing learning spaces to improve the functionality and longevity of the facility."

The final major school project included in the BGSD's three-year capital plan is a new K-9 school for Beaumont. This comes as the overall utilization rate of schools in the City of Beaumont is 98 per cent, with the high school operating at 120 per cent utilization and the combined utilization of the elementary and junior high schools at 93 per cent. Even with the addition of the approved new high school, a new K-9 school will be needed within the next five to seven years to accommodate the growing student population in Beaumont its surrounding area.

At their Board of Trustees meeting in March, discussions were held relating to a possible new school project for the rapidly growing East Vistas area of Leduc County, though no further plans have been announced as of this time.