A new Christian private school will be opening its doors in St. Albert this September despite having difficulty attracting and retaining enrolments, its organizers say.
Renovations will begin at King of Kings Lutheran Church in two weeks, to prepare the facility to begin offering elementary level classes in the fall, said principal Ken Albinger.
The church’s congregation has been planning a new school for months but abandoned the initial plan to build a temporary facility because of cost uncertainty and lower than expected enrolment. Some in the community have interpreted the decision as an end to the new school but it will still proceed.
“We’re not going to do a new building but we are going ahead with the school in the existing church building,” said Mark Wolgram, chair of the school development committee. “The congregation is still 100 per cent behind it.”
The prospect of building is still surrounded by uncertainty due to the unknown cost of development levies that the school would incur, he said.
“It’s an expensive proposition so we have to make sure we get this right before we commit large amounts of dollars to it,” Wolgram said.
The church is in ongoing discussions with the city to determine these development fees, Albinger said.
After an April story in the Gazette described the church’s struggles, the school lost five of its 16 committed students, Albinger said.
“We’ve lost five of our firm ones and the inquiries have dried up at this point,” said Albinger.
He’s been hosting an information table at the nearby Walmart to inform people that the school is still going ahead.
Regulations allow the school to proceed with as few as seven students if they come from at least two families but he’s confident that his numbers will increase beyond the current 11.
“I anticipate that we’ll open with between 20 and 25,” Albinger said. “I really believe that, even if we don’t get one additional enrolment, we will be going ahead.”
The church has applied for development and building renovation permits and will begin work on its building near Coal Mine Road in two weeks, he said.
The school will teach the Alberta curriculum as well as a Christian studies curriculum developed by the Lutheran Church. Annual tuition will be about $2,600 per child.
