Construction on new southwest high school to start as early as 2019
Construction on a new $79-million southwest Edmonton high school will begin in late 2019 or early 2020, but students might not be taking their first class there until 31/2 years later, Premier Rachel Notley said Friday.
The new school will be located west of James Mowatt Trail and north of 35 Avenue in the Heritage Valley neighbourhood and will have space for up to 1,800 students.
A second phase of construction will add a $9-million addition to accommodate 600 more students.
While those numbers pale in comparison to projections from the Edmonton public school board, which in February reported that the city will need space for 6,000 more public high school students by 2025, it was still welcome news.
The school board report predicted existing public high schools will be full by 2021.
Edmonton Public Schools board chairwoman Michelle Draper applauded the announcement, but conceded while the new high school will “alleviate the crunch,” more is needed.
Draper said the new facility will help “ensure that new high school space is added before high school enrolment exceeds available space in our district,” which is a particular concern in the city’s south.
She also pointed to the need to modernize existing schools throughout the city.
“New schools in new neighbourhoods are exciting. But there is also the concern of aging schools in more established communities where the average age is around 50 years old,” she said.
“Modernization dollars are extremely important as well. There are ways we are looking to address the needs, but the needs are great.”
The district’s construction priority list also includes the $58-million first phase of a high school in Glenridding Heights in southwest Edmonton for 1,600 students.
Edmonton Public Schools opened nine new schools this September and another two will open in January, but they are predominantly elementary or junior high schools. Edmonton Catholic schools opened five city schools.
In March, the province unveiled a list of 26 school construction projects across Alberta to be funded over the next four years.
Education Minister David Eggen said Friday’s announcement “outside the normal regular budget cycle” was recognition of the need to get cracking on construction.
Heritage Valley is one of the fastest growing neighbourhoods in the city and the new high school means that others in the area won’t “get too crammed as we continue to grow,” Notley said.
There are ways we are looking to address the needs, but the needs are great.