Cold Lake Configuration - We Want To Hear From You

We reviewed our timelines for the survey prior to launching it and adjusted the closing time to noon on the 24th. This was shared when we launched the survey and the dates were updated on the site. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

The configuration changes were initiated because four schools are getting close to capacity - Cold Lake Elementary, Nelson Heights, Cold Lake High and Art Smith. To avoid overcrowding, large class sizes and reduced program options that would result if schools were overcapacity, NLPS needs to develop a solution that will address the capacity issues.

One of the options looked at was construction of a new school. However, the process of getting approval for a new school can take many years (sometimes more than a decade) and would not address the issues in the short-term. As well, one of the things that the government looks at when assessing requests for new construction is the utilization of the division's schools in the community as a whole. The expectation is that the division would make adjustments to configuration and/or attendance boundaries to better utilize existing space before getting approval for a new school.

So the configuration changes will place the division in a better position to request a new school when looking at the needs of the community on a long-term basis. That would be something the Board would need to take a look at as part of its capital plan, which is reviewed on an annual basis. That does not mean that it would be a replacement for North Star. Currently North Star is the fourth priority on the division's capital plan as a modernization (renovation), not a replacement school. North Star will likely stay on the capital plan as it is the division's oldest school in Cold Lake and does require some upgrades. But that would not prevent another project from being added to the capital plan as well.

Future growth in the City was one of the things the committee asked about during its deliberations and the City provided information on how many lots are currently available for development in both the North and South, with slightly more growth expected in the North than South. This is something that would be considered when looking at the long-term infrastructure needs of NLPS in the City.

All public schools follow the provincial curriculum and must teach the same outcomes. Extracurricular programs are determined by the school and may be different at each school as they are now.

Although current LSAA rules stipulate that a gym should be of a certain size, and they may discourage participation of half-court basketball in any location, these activities are meant to encourage student participation and not limit it. It is our understanding that they would likely allow games to be played at sites with smaller gyms as this practice is already occurring in other locations. 

Transportation services are based on attendance boundaries which determine which schools students should attend based on their geographic location. NLPS is aware that residents in the Tri-City area are often surprised to learn that their designated schools are in Cold Lake South. That area of the city is very close to the boundary line for schools in the south. They currently have the option to enroll their children in schools outside of their attendance boundaries, but may not be able to access transportation services.

Once the Board makes a decision about configuration, an implementation plan will be developed and that may include a review of  attendance boundaries. That does not mean that there will be any changes made, but it is possible adjustments could be made to ensure space at all schools is utilized to its full potential.

If a decision is made to have two K to 6 schools in the same area, NLPS would have to examine boundaries to ensure space at both schools is utilized to its full potential.  No decision has been made at this time as significant effort would need to be made to map out all students’ residences.

The complete change from the current configuration to the new configuration will not happen in the 2021-2022 school year, but some changes could be implemented as soon as September. This will depend on the transition plan developed that is developed after the Board decides what the new configuration will look like. 

For instance, some of the renovations that will be needed may start so that sites are ready for configuration changes in future years. As well, to make the transition as smooth as possible for students and families, it may make sense for some students to stay at their current schools instead of moving to a different school and then having to make another transition later as configurations change. For example, in both of the scenarios that have been proposed, North Star will become a Kindergarten to Grade 6 school. It may make sense to keep the current students at the school for Grade 4 instead of having them make the transition to Cold Lake Middle School and then return to North Star later to complete grades 5 and 6. 

There may also be multiple options for transitioning from the current configuration to the new one that may require further discussion with school communities to determine what the transition looks like.

Once the Board approves a plan for configuration, administration will begin developing a transition and implementation plan that will look at everything from transportation and renovations to when the new configurations will come into effect and over what period of time.

An important part of the transition plan will be the timing of when configuration changes take place and minimizing disruptions to students. So for your example, the discussion would need to be whether it makes sense for students to move to Nelson Heights for one or two years only to move back again if the streamlined configuration is the one that is chosen. There may be multiple options for ensuring a smooth transition for students and discussions will likely need to take place with the parents of students at the schools that are affected to determine which options may work better and what timeframe will be most beneficial for students.

Another part of the transition plan for the streamlined option that may affect the ability of students to move back to CLES would be a review of boundaries to determine who is eligible to attend each of the new K-6 schools once the configuration changes have been made. There have been no decisions made on boundaries at this point as significant work would need to be done to map where existing students live and what boundaries would balance enrolment at the two schools. This may also involve further consultation with residents who live in the affected areas.

In both configurations, Cold Lake Middle school will house most of the grades 7 to 9 students (Art Smith will still be offering programming for grades 7 and 8 if they have enough space).
Based on our current enrollment projections, we do not anticipate any capacity issues at the new 7-9 school (currently Cold Lake Middle School)and there should be room for growth. The charts below show the projected enrollments and capacities of the schools in 2023-2024. The only school that is projected to be at capacity (over 85%) is North Star Elementary and there are other options that can be explored to address that outside of configuration.

As for busing, students who live in the north would live beyond 2.4 kilometres from the new 7-9 school and therefore the division would receive funding to transport them to school. NLPS does not charge fees to transport students to school if they live more than 2.4 kilometres from their designated school. 

Provincially, Alberta’s high school program is a three-year program that starts in Grade 10 and many high schools in the province are configured to be grades 10-12 schools. Grade 9 students are considered junior high school students, along with students in grades 7-9 and the hours of instruction and programming are different than what is mandated for high school students.

Locally we have not always had all of our Grade 9’s attend a high school. Prior to the construction of CLHS, Grade 9 students in Cold Lake  attended one of our middle schools or a K-9 school (now Art Smith). 

That being said, there are advantages to having Grade 9s in a high school environment, including access to high school facilities and assisting  with the transition to the  high school structure. One of the things the Cold Lake Configuration Committee discussed and wanted to ensure was that Grade 9 students would have access to a robust program similar to what they would get if they were at the high school. One of the advantages of configuring Cold Lake Middle School to a grades 7-9 school is that prior to the construction of CLHS, it was the division’s public high school in Cold Lake. As a high school, it was equipped to provide high school programming, including food studies, industrial arts, etc. Cold Lake Middle School students have benefited greatly from those amenities. The committee felt  it would be a good fit as a grades 7-9 school and that students and staff would  be able to take advantage of the amenities that they would not have in a site that was not originally built as a high school.