CBE slims down wish list for new schools, focusing instead on modernizing existing ones

The Calgary Board of Education administration has considerably slimmed down its wish list for new school builds in its three-year capital plan, hoping instead to spend more moneymodernizing existing schools.

Dany Breton, CBE superintendent of facilities, saidby keeping the number of new school construction requests low, it allows the plan to focus more heavily on modernizing existing schools.

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"With over half of schools now 50 years or older, it is exceedingly important that we turn our attention to these school soas to ensure that they can continue to be great places to learn for another 50 years," he told the CBE board of trustees at a public meeting Tuesday.

The capital plan is up for the board's consideration before being sent to the province for a decision. The board will vote on the plan at next week's public board meeting.

It asks for three new builds and 10 modernizations adrastic difference to last year's plan, which sought 12 new builds and 10 modernizations.

Breton said that in light of economic circumstances, the province expects school jurisdictions to make the best use of their existing facilities.

And, he said, there's an incentive within the new funding framework to increase school utilization rates.

"The higher the utilization of your facilities, the more it attracts operating and maintenance funding," he said.

In the past three years of school capital plans, Breton said the target that had been established for schools was a utilization rate of around 85 per cent but in light of the utilization rate funding incentive, fiscal restraints and operating withina fixed budget, Breton said this report, if accepted, would see the utilization rate go up to the high 80s.

"If all of the new schools listed on this plan were approved, the utilization rate is projected to climb to 88 per cent by 2025," he said.

Trustee Mike Bradshaw said while attending a Nickle Junior High parent council meeting, he was asked by parents when their school would actually be modernized since it's been identified by the CBE for the last 12 years in its capital plans.

"Is there any indication that maybe the province will follow our lead with this report and focus on modernizations going forward?" he asked Breton.

The superintendent said no.

"But the plan that is before you would certainly speak very strongly about where the Calgary Board of Education thinks funding should be going in the near future," he said.

On the list of 10 modernization requests, Breton said all of the schools have been on the board's capital plan wish lists for at least three years, with others, like Nickle having been on the list for over a decade.

Trustee Trina Hurdman said in her examination of the province's budget she saw line items for "previously announced new school projects" and lines for "modernizations, that did not have the words previously announced before it."

"But Idid not see any line item for additional new schools," she said. "I'm wondering if we've received any communication from the province around, are they not planning on building any new schools for the next three years and are they focusing on modernizations?"

Breton said administration has not received anything formal in that regard.

"Certainly the signalsthat we're getting from the government underscored thatthis was the first in a series of new school announcements," he said.

"And I would go back to the speech from the throne that underscored that $6.4 billionin new capital investments projected tostrengthening infrastructure. I'm thinking of modernization when I when I think of strengthening infrastructure, and investment in infrastructure maintenance and renewal. So certainly hopeful that that's where that's going."

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Colin Aitchison, spokesperson for Alberta's Education Ministry, said in a statement that the province's2020 capital plan invests $1.5 billion toward new schools and modernization projects across Alberta.

"The plan supports the construction of nine previously announced new schoolprojects to help address capacity pressures and accommodate new students, as well as two new modernization school projects to help address building conditions," he said.

"It also includes funding to continue projects that are currently underway. More information about the specific projects will be available in the coming weeks."