Yesterday's provincial budget moves the Foothills School Division one step closer to a new high school in Okotoks.
A day after the budget was released, Premier Danielle Smith was joined by Minister of Education Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Infrastructure Peter Guthrie and others to announce details of infrastructure spending for education.
That announcement included design funding for a new high school in Okotoks’ Wedderburn neighbourhood.
The budget includes $2.1 billion for new and modernized schools across Alberta over the next three years.
Foothills School Division welcomed the announcement, saying that a new high school in Okotoks has been a priority since 2015.
Foothills Composite High School is at about 120 per cent capacity, according to the division.
“Design funding for the new Okotoks high school is an extremely positive step in getting where we need to be to support our high school students,” said assistant superintendent Drew Chipman.
The Province provides money in stages for new school projects: pre-planning, planning, design and construction.
Planning money for the new Okotoks high school came in last year’s budget, so this year's funding will cover project design, construction documents and permit applications. Construction funding must be approved later.
Chipman said the division also sees a need for additional funding due to cost increases.
“We don’t yet know whether additional funding will be provided to offset significant inflationary pressures,” he said.
The new school is a priority for the Town of Okotoks. In a statement, the Town said it was still looking into how the budget impacts other local priorities.
“The implications to Okotoks from the provincial budget are not entirely known yet,” a spokesperson said.
The Town had been advocating for construction of an interchange at Highway 2 and 338 Avenue as well as funding for local affordable housing projects. It also sought an increase in Local Governance Fiscal Framework funding to support municipal infrastructure work.
Highwood MLA and Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson was not immediately able to provide details on local budget items.
The Province said the 2024 budget focuses on fiscal responsibility and wise spending. The budget includes $26.2 billion this year for healthcare, an increase of 4.4 per cent but not enough to keep up with inflation or population growth, and an anticipated surplus of $376 million.
- with files from Brett McKay, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
