New schools a highlight of the year for school division

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on January 3, 2025.

Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Lethbridge School Division Board Chair Christine Light and Superintendent Mike Nightingale reflect on 2024 while looking forward to 2025 when they will be welcoming students to their new West Coulee Station Elementary School.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

The Lethbridge School Division is looking forward to 2025 as it prepares to welcome students to the new West Lethbridge elementary school in September.

Board chair Christine Light says 2024 was a great year for the division, with many big things moving forward.

“I think the one key celebration that we have right now is going to be the opening of West Coulee Station Elementary School in Garry Station,” says Light.

Part of the process involved completing a robust boundary engagement with stakeholders as they get ready to fill the school with students. Coulee Station will also be the new home of the Spanish bilingual program currently offered at Coalbanks Elementary.

Light says this will alleviate some of the capacity pressures that Coalbanks Elementary is experiencing.

“Right now, the West Coulee Station Elementary School is on track for April 2025 possession for the school division. So, we’re very excited about that.”

The interior of the building is in the process of being finished and staff are being hired.

“We were very fortunate that the province put forward a faster process for allowing divisions and boards to access new builds and modernizations,” says Light. “We are also working with the city of Lethbridge to find appropriate new school sites and to have them site ready, so we’re able to utilize that funding,” says Light.

The division is currently looking for land for a West Lethbridge High School, as well as another westside elementary school.

“Our west side is booming in population and we’re anticipating continued growth there,” says Light. “So we’re hoping to be able to finalize some spaces for new builds on the West side.”

There is also some modernization needed at schools throughout the city to increase accessibility.

“We’ve seen some needs for basic accessibility in some of the schools around our division,” says Light. “The priority high school regarding accessibility and modernization would be LCI.”

She adds that some elementary schools, particularly Senator Buchanan and Westminster on the north side, are in need in modernization for accessibility as well. Both need elevators to make their space on the second floor accessible to staff, students and parents. The board will continue those conversations as they move forward with their next capital plan.

“Our annual education results report has been approved by the board in November,” says Light. “This is the result of random surveys between the months of January to March, as Alberta education sends out surveys to students, parents, caregivers, and teachers,” says Light.

The surveys are sent to students in Grades 4, 7 and 10 and this survey provides assurance and accountability to all stakeholders of the measures identified for each of the assurance domains outlined in the Board three-year plan.

“That plan gives the context of our division and it also cites some of the celebrations that we have as a division. I think a lot of positive and good things are happening as far as learning, extracurriculars and capacity building of our parents, students and staff.”

Light says the report also highlights two areas of concern: the Grade 9 Provincial Achievement Test (PAT) acceptable results and the diploma acceptable results.

“The board is taking this information into our strategic planning. Each school has their own assurance results report, so schools are reviewing these reports with their school councils and we’ll take this information as we dive into our strategic planning as a board in March.”

The report compares the division to itself in prior years, and it also compares the division to provincial results as well.

“There are some areas that would have been improved, some areas that would have been maintain from last year and there was some areas that are declined, so we’re looking at those,” says Light.

On the governance side, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act requires criminal record checks for municipal elections, but the division will not be asking for them in the upcoming year.

“Our board has decided that we will not be requiring criminal record checks for the 2025 fall municipal election,” says Light.

Bill 27, the Education Amendment Act, in which parents must opt in for sex education as opposed to opting out, will be a challenge as well.

“Our administrative team is working on what that will look like and our provincial association, the Alberta School Boards Association, has moved to advocate for the opt out process to remain,” says Light.

Mike Nightingale, superintendent of LSD, adds that 2024 came with a number of proud moments, one of which was an award.

“This past fall, the division was honoured with Spirit of Reconciliation award through the Chamber of Commerce, which is something that we’re very proud of,” says Nightingale.

The school division received great support from the community in many ways throughout 2024, he adds.

“This month (December) alone, we received over $25,000 worth of donations to support our schools. So that’s incredibly appreciated and just a great example of how connected we are with the community and the ways that the community supports us.”

Those funds will be used for a variety of things such as support programming for both the schools and the community at large.

 “Sometimes it’s supporting school endeavours and sometimes it’s a way that the school communities were partnering together to help support people who were in need or there’s a need in our communities,” says Nightingale.