COLD LAKE – A solution to the overpopulation of students in the public schools in the City of Cold Lake is coming forward.
Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS) Secretary-Treasurer Paula Elock told the division’s board of trustees at a meeting earlier this month that she will be presenting a recommendation from the Cold Lake Configuration Committee.
“The committee has come up with a recommendation so now it rests with me to develop that recommendation into a presentation for the board, which I’m hoping to bring at the next board meeting to align with our capital plan,” she detailed. “Hopefully, we will have something (that's) good for you at the next board meeting to vote on.”
The Cold Lake Configuration Committee was formed in 2019 and set its sights on coming up with suggestions on how to address the overpopulation in NLPS schools in Cold Lake. The division is projecting enrolment to jump from 2,434 in 2019/20 to 2,638 by the 2022/23 school year.
The suggestion from the committee came after virtual meetings were held by the division for the public to hear the three scenarios that could address the predicted increase in students within the city.
The presentations outlined three possibilities, including the Streamlined Configuration Option, The High School Option, and the Multi-Configuration Option. They ranged from having two high schools in Cold Lake to having three facilities that had students from kindergarten to Grade 6, a middle school with only Grades 7 to 9, and a high school for the remaining grades.
“Upon completion of the engagement, we then released a survey that was open for about a week and had a significant amount of engagement or what I would consider a significant amount of engagement,” Elock noted. “It was very encouraging to see the number of people who participated across the various groups of parents, community members, staff, and even students.”
According to Elock, about 1,600 people participated in the survey.
After reviewing all of the feedback that was received from the community, the committee came together and made the recommendation that will be presented to the board in the coming weeks. The board will decide on their next steps after Elock’s presentation.
Trustee Karen Packard offered her appreciation for the committee’s and NLPS’ staffs hard work on the project.
“You guys have really done some really good work with keeping the committee focused and with your presentations for the committee and community. Thanks to the committee, too. They worked really hard.”
Robynne Henry, Bonnyville Nouvelle
