Locally Developed Course Approval Directive
Rocky View Schools (RVS) approved the acquisition of four courses during its March 21 board meeting teaching about astronomy, indigenous studies, leather technologies, and orientation and mobility.
Locally Developed Courses (LDCs) are developed, acquired, and authorized by school authorities to provide students with unique opportunities to explore a range of interests in subject areas that complement provincial programs of study.
Each new subject includes different course levels for each grade in high school.
The Indigenous studies courses are called All My Relations and include Metis History and Stories, Indigenous Art and Ceremony, as well as Pathways to Reconciliation.
The Orientation and Mobility course is directed at students with visual impairment, explained RVS administration.
There is a student in the division who is visually impaired and RVS wanted to extend the ability for this student to keep learning about mobility. This course includes brail.
RVS board chair Fiona Gilbert said these courses are a good opportunity to allow teachers to develop studies that helps students find success and meet some of their passions.
Board documents state these courses can accommodate student needs and interests, encourage and support innovative learning and teaching practices, address unique community priorities, and engage students at risk of leaving school early.
RVS three year capital plan
Rocky View Schools (RVS) presented their priorities broken down in three years at their March 19 board meeting.
Each school division in Alberta is required to submit their list of capital requests, in order of priority, by April 1 of each calendar year.
For the 2025 budget, RVS highlighted four new schools as their priority, including a high school in Airdrie and a K to Grade 9 school in Chestermere that were both approved for design funding in 2024, as well as another high school in Chestermere, and a K to Grade 8 school in Airdrie.
In the 2026 budget year, the priorities include a new K to Grade 8 school and new high school in Cochrane, a new Chestermere K to Grade 9 school, and a new Crossfield K to Grade 8 school.
The priorities for 2027 include an addition to the Springbank middle school, and a new middle school in Airdrie.
Schools that received full construction funding in the recent budget were removed from the list to allow others to move up the priority list.
Most of the sites for the schools are ready, according to RVS administration, but some require a bit more work to take them to the next level.
Budget 2024 Update Information
Superintendent Greg Luterbach stated that Alberta Education’s overall budget for the upcoming year was released at the end of February but much of the details are yet to be released.
The Minister of Education hosted a press conference in Airdrie where he highlighted some of the budget points.
That included a 4.4 per cent increase in operating expenses, totalling to $9.3 billion, to support record enrolment growth, hire hundreds more education staff including teachers and education assistants, and supporting specialized needs students.
“While the overall budget is going up 4.4 per cent, we don’t know if any individual grant is going up,” Luterbach said, speculating the increase is tied directly to about a four per cent overall enrolment growth budgeted across the province.
Alberta Education is planning ahead for increased student enrolment with an injection of $842 million over the next three years.
Luterbach also pointed out that budget 2024 includes additional funding for new private schools and public collegiate schools. He said collegiate schools are still a relatively new concept in the Province of Alberta.
“I was surprised not to see a lot of announcements that day in the budget talking about career, career training, and dual credit,” Luterbach said. “I’m hoping that maybe they’re going to spread out that good news in the coming days but I’m not sure.”
The capital budget included full construction funding for three new schools in Airdrie and Cochrane, as well as design funding for two schools in Airdrie and Chestermere.
