Edmonton Public School Board 2024-2027 Capital Plan Update

While the prioritization of school construction falls within the jurisdiction of the school boards and the construction of the schools falls within the jurisdiction of the provincial government, construction of new schools is something I regularly get asked about and wanted to share some updates from the Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB).

Each year, the school boards update their three year capital plan which provides a prioritization list for new school construction. This list is ideally used by the provincial government to help inform which projects they fund in their budget. The 2024-2027 Capital Plan was released this week and there are a few notable points for residents in Ward Nakota Isga. (See included images)

As you can see, there are a few locations proposed in Ward Nakota Isga or close to the ward. The Rosenthal (K-6) School,the replacement schools for both Britannia Youngstown (K-9) and Mayfield (PK-3), and the Hawks Ridge (K-6) School are still #3, #8, and #9 respectively on the priority list.

There’s two new additions that are important to highlight. The first is a modernization of the Grovenor (K-6) School which is #14 on the priority list. The other major one, which has been asked about for quite some time, is a new west end high school that is #12 on the priority list. The new west end high school location hasn’t been finalized but the two locations currently being considered are in The Grange and Riverview.

But the main question you might have is what does this all mean and how quickly will these schools be built? That question is hard to answer because once the priority list is completed, it’s up to the provincial government to fund the schools on the list.

Prior to this year’s provincial budget, we went the last few years without a single public school funded in the City of Edmonton. This year, there was funding approved for a new school in Edgemont and planning funds for a school in Glenridding. If that pace continues, it could take at least 10 years before the schools in Britannia Youngstown, Mayfield, and Hawks Ridge are completed.

I’m often asked how we can work to make these schools a reality sooner rather than later. The best thing to do is ask provincial candidates in the upcoming election what their party has planned for school construction. Regardless of who you support, make sure to ask candidates from all parties and stress the importance of building new schools. If there isn’t a clear plan in the party platform, keep that in mind when making your decision.

Besides approving the land where the school will be built and ensuring the land is ready to be built on, the City’s other role is one of advocacy. We will engage with school board trustees and MLAs to share what we are hearing from residents which they can then use to inform their decisions.

This is a quick overview of the process and while the school boards and provincial government play the primary role in this, if you have any other questions about how this works, please let me know and I’ll do my best to answer those questions.