Foothills School Division approved an updated capital plan this week, although little has changed since last year.
A new 1,500-student high school on a 32 Street site in the Wedderburn area of Okotoks still sits atop the priority list, as it did in 2022. This project was granted planning funding in the 2023 provincial budget.
Number two on the list is also an Okotoks project and a carry over from last year – the construction of a new kindergarten to Grade 9 school in D'Arcy Ranch.
Also on the list (in descending order) are the modernizations of High River's Senator Riley School, Turner Valley School, C. Ian McLaren in Diamond Valley and Cayley School.
A new high school in the Spitzee Crossing area of High River is number seven, followed by the modernizations of Longview School, Joe Clark School and Big Rock School in Okotoks.
That portion of the list has seen some changes over last year, most notably the demotion of Cayley School from third to sixth and the ascension of Senator Riley School, Turner Valley and C. Ian McLaren.
In a memo to the board, the division said changes to the priority list have been made based on the condition of the schools which is greatly impacted by student population.
"While Cayley had been our top modernization priority, we have now moved three other schools up on the list," the memo read.
The division added it has invested IMR (Infrastructure Maintenance and Renewal) dollars into Cayley by installing new boilers in the building.
"École Senator Riley, Turner Valley and C. Ian McLaren Schools all have significantly higher utilization rates and have surpassed Cayley from a 'needs' perspective."
