Alberta announces funding for 14 school projects in Edmonton area

The Alberta government is promising to fund 14 school projects in Edmonton and the surrounding areas, including planning funding for nine brand-new schools.

Edmonton-area school divisions have long maintained they need dozens of new schools over the next decade to meet spiking enrollment demands.

The province acknowledged those enrollment pressures in Wednesday’s announcement, which promises to add some 16,400 new and updated student spaces.

“We have heard loud and clear that Edmonton and surrounding communities need new schools,” said Minister of Education Demetrios Nicolaides. “To meet this call, we are supporting new and ongoing school projects in Edmonton and area to ensure every student has a space to grow and thrive.”

Should the provincial budget pass, the 14 school projects include design funding for an addition to Dr. Anne Anderson High School (600 new students) and a new K-6 school in Hawks Ridge – both part of Edmonton Public Schools.

It also includes planning funding for two high schools in Beaumont, four high schools and an elementary school in Edmonton, a francophone K-6 school in Haddow/Henderson and a new K-9 school in St. Albert.

“The investment in five school projects is welcome news,” said EPSB board chair Julie Kusiek. “Space for students in all grades, especially for high schools, is critical for Edmonton Public Schools. A school is the heart of a community, and we are grateful that more students will have access to a public school closer to home.”

Alberta announces funding for 14 school projects in Edmonton area

The Alberta government is promising to fund 14 school projects in Edmonton and the surrounding areas, including planning funding for nine brand-new schools. Edmonton-area school divisions have long…

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Also part of the announcement is design funding for a replacement school in Morinville, another in northwest Edmonton, as well as the acquisition and modernization of a property leased by the charter school Edmonton Classical Academy for K-12 students (design funding).

The Alberta government says it would bring the total number of school projects in the Edmonton metropolitan region to 36 (19 with construction approval, seven with design approval, 10 with planning approval).