Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)
A major part of building or renovating a school is planning the design, location, classroom layout and more to ensure the school best serves the community. By providing pre-planning funding to school boards, Alberta’s government is helping ensure that proposed projects are ready to go to the next step of the construction process. These funds also help the school board engage with the local community and parents to find the best school plan for their students.
“We continue to be committed to building and renovating schools now, so we can keep up with increasing numbers of students and growing pressures on our education system. We already have more than 130 school projects underway, and we are keeping our foot on the gas pedal. This pre-planning money is helping school boards create strong project ideas for potential schools in their communities.”
School boards can use the information gathered in the pre-planning stage to submit a project proposal that is well-rounded and better prepared for consideration for funding by Alberta’s government. While many projects that receive pre-planning money do eventually move to the next stage of the construction process, not all projects that get pre-planning funding move forward.
“We know Alberta’s growing communities need new and modernized schools, and we continue to take action to move school projects forward as quickly as possible; this includes investing in pre-planning. Thorough pre-planning helps determine whether a new school, modernization or replacement is required. Additionally, we determine grade configuration, capacity needs and site conditions. Having this vital information will enable our government to accelerate projects once full funding is approved.”
Last fall, Alberta’s government announced the $8.6 billion School Construction Accelerator Program to speed up school construction and build more than 100 new and renovated schools over the next seven years. School projects approved for funding by Alberta’s government will move forward as part of that program.
“Alberta School Boards Association appreciates this investment to support our locally elected member school boards in preparing for future school projects. Pre-planning brings our boards one step closer to ensuring students have safe, modern learning spaces. These funds will help boards as they develop well-informed plans that address the long-term needs of their communities.”
Building and renovating more than 130 schools is a massive undertaking, and it needs to be done right. The pre-planning, planning and design stages are very important steps in the process that help ensure schools are built correctly, on time and on budget.
“As demand from families across Alberta for Catholic education continues to grow, we are pleased to see this initial investment towards the development of new Catholic schools.”
Quick facts
- A pre-planning approval typically provides $50,000 in funding but can vary depending on required pre-planning activities.
- Alberta’s government uses a staged school project funding approach that includes pre-planning, planning, design and construction approvals.
- Pre-planning funds are being provided to a mix of public, separate, francophone and charter school boards, supporting more choice for parents and students in Alberta’s education system.
Pre-planning funding (24 projects):
|
Community |
School board |
|
Amisk and Hughendon |
Buffalo Trail Public Schools |
|
Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement |
Northern Lights Public Schools |
|
Calgary (4) |
Alberta Classical Academy |
|
Calgary Board of Education |
|
|
Fusion Collegiate |
|
|
Westmount Charter School |
|
|
Camrose |
Battle River School Division |
|
Edmonton |
The WISE Charter School |
|
Fairview |
Peace River School Division |
|
Gibbons |
Sturgeon Public Schools |
|
Grande Prairie |
Conseil scolaire du Nord-Ouest |
|
Lethbridge (2) |
Holy Spirit Catholic School Division |
|
Lethbridge School Division |
|
|
Lundbreck |
Livingstone Range School Division |
|
Medicine Hat (2) |
Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education |
|
Medicine Hat Public School Division |
|
|
Okotoks |
Christ the Redeemer Catholic Schools |
|
Peace River |
Peace River School Division |
|
Sherwood Park |
Elk Island Catholic Schools |
|
Spruce Grove and Westlock |
Evergreen Catholic School Division |
|
St. Albert |
St. Albert Public Schools |
|
St. Albert and Legal |
Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools |
|
Sylvan Lake |
Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools Chinook’s Edge School Division |
|
Tofield |
Battle River School Division |
Related information
- Planning and building schools
- School construction accelerator program
Related news
- More schools for Edmonton and area (March 19, 2025)
- More schools for Calgary and region (March 14, 2025)
- Building schools in every corner of the province (March 7, 2025)