Four Edmonton schools to close, two others to open

EPSB to close four schools The four schools will be replaced with two news ones. CTV Edmonton’s Sarah Plowman has more.

The Edmonton Public School Board voted Tuesday to replace four old schools with two new ones.

The board voted unanimously to close three elementary schools in west Edmonton—in Afton, Glendale and Sherwood—and a junior high school in Westlawn.

A Kindergarten-to-Grade 3 school will be built on the Afton site, and a school for Grades 4-9 at the Westlawn location.

However, the current locations will remain open for several years.

“The current schools will not officially close until the new schools are built and ready to welcome the students into this great 21^st century learning environment,” said Michelle Draper, the board’s chair.

She anticipates the four sites to close in June of 2022, with the new facilities opening in September for the new school year.

The idea was first pitched to parents at the end of May.

The schools are said to be underutilized and in need of extensive modernization.

The provincial government provided approximately $25 million, with the school board funding the other $15 million needed.

With files from Sarah Plowman