Rocky View Schools (RVS) board of trustees approved an accommodation plan for Cochrane’s Glenbow Elementary and Mitford Middle School March 7.
Starting in September, kindergarten to Grade 4 students who reside in the communities of West Terrace, West Valley, West Point, and Sunset Ridge will move from Glenbow Elementary to Mitford Middle. Cochrane Christian Academy (Kindergarten through Grade 8) will continue to operate within Mitford.
Glenbow Elementary will become a kindergarten to Grade 5 school and students living in the communities of Glenbow, Riverview Greens, Heritage Hill, Bow Meadows, Bow Ridge, Heartland, and areas south of the Bow River in Cochrane and rural Cochrane south of the Bow will continue on to Grade 5 at Glenbow. All students will advance to Grade 6 at Mitford.
RVS will provide a shuttle for the 2013/2014 school year between the two schools for students registered in the before and after care program located on the Glenbow School site. About 35 students will be affected.
The decision came after consultation with parents and stakeholders at the areas.
“We encouraged everyone to give us their frank ideas … said Trustee Bev LaPeare. “We listened to the community and this alternative makes it easier for everyone and also looks to the future.”
Currently, Glenbow School, which has 568 students, is at more than 102 per cent capacity, while Mitford, which has 580 students, is now at more than 87 per cent capacity.
With the move, Glenbow will be at about 80 per cent capacity, and Mitford at 103 per cent.
When making the decision, the board considered several things, including a lack of room for more portables at Glenbow and Elizabeth Barrett schools and no school approvals from the 2013-2016 Capital Plan, making a new schools at least 40 months out.
The board report pointed out there is room for portables at Mitford.
With internal renovations, the advantages of the decision include the schools’ capacity falling within acceptable standards until 2015/2016, it provides a kindergarten to Grade 8 option for Cochrane and provides more resources and collaboration opportunities for kindergarten to Grade 4 students.
Disadvantages listed include disruption to families, Mitford was built as a middle school and some Grade 5 students will be split up.
Trustee Don Thomas said he was impressed with the amount of consultation that went into the decision.
“I think this recommendation takes most of parents’ (opinions) into account,” he said.
Portables approved
The province approved 16 of the 20 portables Rocky View Schools (RVS) requested for the 2013/2014 school year.
The announcement, made at the board of trustees’ meeting, March 7, was met with delight by trustees.
“I am thrilled for the division that we are going to be getting all these portables,” said Bev LaPeare.
The announcement was expected before Christmas, said John Wheatley, director of facility planning for RVS, adding the information was leaked to him through an email from the province on March 1.
Cochrane’s Mitford School will be receiving six of the eight classrooms RVS requested last November, bringing the schools capacity rate down from an expected 103 per cent to 95.5.
The province did not provide the portables requested for Rainbow Creek Elementary School in Chestermere, which will reach nearly 98 per cent capacity in September.
RVS also learned they will be responsible for 50 per cent of the installation costs of the portables, approximately $440,000. The money will come from cash reserves.
Trustee Thomas said the province allocated 40 per cent of its new portable supply to RVS.
“We haven’t always been so successful (with our requests),” said Thomas. “We will take it and maybe complain a little less in the future. It’s a very crucial step forward, this addresses the accommodation crisis.”
