There’s an old saying that nobody ever makes a mistake if he or she learns from it and comes out wiser in the end.
With the recent announcement by Premier Jim Prentice confirming new schools for St. Albert, the controversy last summer in Erin Ridge regarding development of a new francophone high school is likely fresh in the community’s mind.
Some residents in Erin Ridge were unhappy with a number of things about the new high school, despite the fact Alexandre Taché School students would no longer have to attend school in a basement.
Perhaps the most important complaint some Erin Ridge residents had, though, was the communication from the city, school boards and provincial government about where and when the school would be built. The site in question, behind Sturgeon hospital, had been properly earmarked for a school for years. But few people were aware of that fact until the moment of truth.
As pointed out in coverage in this edition of the Gazette, St. Albert has several new schools planned in a rather short period of time. On the surface, this seems positive and it would doubtlessly be, but where these schools will be built and when is uncertain.
There aren’t enough identified school sites available to readily host the freshly announced schools, despite the fact the city continues to expand its borders and create new residential neighbourhoods. The 400-student kindergarten to Grade 9 Catholic school is slated to be built in Erin Ridge North, but exactly where is unknown. However, there is shovel-ready land in Oakmont that is earmarked for a Catholic school. In fact, a sign has been erected in Oakmont Park stating the site will be the future home of a Catholic school. There is, however, no shovel-ready land for the proposed 900-student St. Albert public school or the 350-student Catholic school in Morinville.
Prentice's announcement, beside the fact that it is bold and perhaps unrealistic (given these schools are to be realized in just three years), just came out this week, so one can understand the confusion surrounding the location of these schools. But once that's determined, the municipalities and school boards need to make sure they do a good job on public consultation and communication. There's no need to repeat the Erin Ridge experience. New schools are essential for any community to grow and prosper – the stakeholders just have to make sure all the Ts are crossed.
