The Calgary Board of Education is falling behind in its efforts to keep aging schools up to date, and that could become even more challenging as the school board faces a roughly $8-million maintenance funding reduction for the upcoming school year.
It could lead to more frequent building system failures, which could in turn affect school operations and even lead to having to shutter schools temporarily if repairs can’t be made quickly enough, said CBE.
According to a report presented to trustees on Tuesday, 60 per cent of CBE schools are past their 50-year planned service life. That lifespan can be extended through major modernizations or replacements.
Of all CBE schools, 124 were built more than 50 years ago and haven’t had a major upgrade. Over the next decade, that number is expected to grow by 26.
Meanwhile, 42 schools are over the age of 70 and haven’t been modernized.
“This has been a concern for the board,” said chair Laura Hack.
“We have competing concerns: building new schools in new and developing communities, and we have aging infrastructure.”
More frequent system failures
Dany Breton, superintendent of facilities and environmental services, said the CBE could be more proactive with maintaining and upgrading aging infrastructure if it had more funding.
The CBE will be working with roughly $8 million less for maintenance next year — a 20-per-cent reduction from the current school year, according to Breton — due to changes in provincial funding, including the discontinuation of the Infrastructure Maintenance and Renewal grant.
(Karina Zapata/CBC)
The school board plans maintenance as best as it can, said Breton.
“But every once in a while, we’re going to get it wrong. And there’s going to be a system we know is beyond its life cycle that will fail,” he said.
He pointed to boilers as one example.
“It might be in the middle of a really cold spell and all of a sudden we’re having to react much more rapidly. It’ll be disruptive to the classroom because the students won’t have maybe the heat they need.”
It also means higher costs for the school board in the long run, said Breton.
Hack said the board of trustees is “always advocating for students’ best interests” to the provincial government through funding requests.
In a statement to CBC News, Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides suggested that the CBE use its reserves to fund infrastructure projects for aging schools.
He said the remaining $50 million from the Infrastructure Maintenance and Renewal grant will be added to the Operations and Maintenance grant.
“The discontinuation of the Infrastructure Maintenance and Renewal grant will allow school boards greater flexibility in how they can use funds to maintain and upkeep schools.”