New Airdrie Schools

Chestermere trustee Bev LePeare resurrected a lengthy debate from the last board about amendments to the 2010-2014 capital plan only to lose the vote again.

At the April 15 board meeting, Airdrie trustee Don Thomas garnered support, resulting in a 4-3 vote, to give a new high school in Airdrie priority over a K-9 school in Chestermere for the 2011 budget request from the Province.

LePeare had voted against the change and challenged her colleagues at the May 6 board meeting to reconsider their previous vote back to the original priority list presented by John Wheatley, director of facility planning for Rocky View Schools.

"Chestermere is desperate for the K-9 school. I realize the entire division is in trouble, but we have to go with what the data shows. We as a board can make this right, we can show our public we can right a wrong," said LePeare.

Trustee Thomas repeated points from his original argument that Airdrie has been growing more rapidly than Chestermere.

"Growth in Chestermere has been somewhat slower, but in Airdrie it's been fairly high, which is part of our reason for change," said Thomas. "We want to look at long-range planning and I hope this doesn't pit one community against the other."

All trustees voted the same way as they initially did with Thomas, Jen Avery, Sylvia Eggerer and Helen Clease in favour of prioritizing a high school in Airdrie over Chestermere's K-9 school, while trustees Bruce Pettigrew and Colleen Munro supported LePeare plea against the change.

"We can't look like we keep changing our minds all the time. Our capital plan is a reactionary document," said Clease. "If it was a plan, Cochrane would probably be at the top of our priority list."

Avery pointed out that the capital plan report shows schools in Beiseker, Kathryn and Irricana have a higher priority than Chestermere.

Munro said she would maintain her support for LePeare's motion, but she was certain Rocky View Schools would find a way to take care of all the students in the division.

"I might point out to you Westbrook School is over 100 per cent utilization this year," said Munro.