CALGARY — Alberta’s government will spend roughly $84 million advancing four public charter school projects expected to create or renovate more than 5,150 student spaces across Calgary, Edmonton and Medicine Hat.The funding will support planning or design work for schools offering specialized programs within Alberta’s publicly funded education system.Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that operate with greater flexibility over their programming and teaching methods. The province says they give parents more choices based on their children’s educational needs, interests and goals.“Alberta families value educational programs that reflect the unique needs, interests and goals of their children,” Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said.“By advancing these four public charter school projects, we are supporting parental choice and helping more students access high-quality learning environments for years to come.”The approved projects include planning funding for the Connect Charter School project in Calgary, the CAPE Charter School project in Medicine Hat and STEM Collegiate Canada Society’s Heritage Valley school in Edmonton.The province also approved design funding for the New Generations Calgary School project.Together, the projects are expected to add approximately 4,280 student spaces and renovate more than 870 existing spaces..Alberta fast-tracks 41 school projects to add more than 39,000 student spaces .STEM Collegiate Canada Society says its proposed Heritage Valley project would provide specialized science, technology, engineering and mathematics programming for 1,200 Edmonton students.“We’re grateful for the province’s planning funding to advance our Heritage Valley project, which will create high-quality, specialized STEM learning spaces for 1,200 students in Edmonton that will have an impact across Alberta for years to come,” board chair Lara McClelland said.Connect Charter School Society is planning a new high school with room for 775 students.“This new 775-student high school will allow us to serve more Alberta families while continuing to deliver the innovative, high-quality public education our community expects,” board chair Bryce Monar said.The four projects bring the number of public charter school developments approved under the province’s Schools Now program to 12.The province says those projects will collectively provide more than 10,500 new or renovated student spaces, including almost 8,300 new spaces and more than 2,200 renovated spaces.The $84 million commitment is part of the province’s broader $8.6-billion Schools Now program.Charter schools can seek provincial capital funding through Alberta’s annual capital-planning process or submit proposals under the Schools Now Charter School Construction Pilot Program.Applications are assessed based on factors including demand, feasibility and whether the proposal aligns with government priorities. The province says the highest-priority projects are then recommended for funding.
