Nanton New & Modernized Schools

Decanting is temporarily relocating people and equipment from a building that is undergoing renovation or construction work, essentially moving  them into another space to allow for uninterrupted work on the original location. In order to most efficiently modernize the A.B. Daley building into the new junior/senior high school while also building the newly constructed elementary school, all elementary students will be moved out of A.B. Daley.

It is anticipated that construction work for the new elementary school will begin in late spring 2025 and modernization on the current A.B. Daley building will begin mid-July 2025.

Students will remain in their current school spaces through the end of the 2024-2025 school year. Decanting will begin in September 2025. We anticipate it lasting for 2 school years (2025-2026 and 2026-2027). New construction and modernization should be completed in the summer of 2027, and staff and students will start at new and modernized school buildings in September 2027.

Student safety is our top priority. Our school administrators and Division Office staff are developing safety plans that include procedures for bussing between sites, communication between sites, lock-downs, fire drills, locked door policies with doorbell cameras, first aid accessibility, snow removal, and more.

Livingstone Range School Division and the Town of Nanton are working to obtain temporary school zones through Alberta Transportation for Highway 2 at the Nanton United Church, as well as temporary school zones in other decanting location

All bus students will be transported directly to and from J.T. Foster. 

The Grade 5/6 students will take a commuter bus between J.T. Foster and Nanton United Church at the beginning and end of each school day. Parents who drive their Grade 5/6 students to school may choose to drop off and pick up their children directly at Nanton United Church. Students will be dropped off at the location on the north side of the building (21st Street) and will not need to cross the highway.

Commuter buses will transport high school students to and from the other off-campus sites throughout the day. Commuter buses will also be used to transport students to programming in town (hockey programming, Phys Ed classes, outdoor ed, etc.).

The high school timetable will be developed with the decanting sites and transportation in mind to maximize instructional time and minimize student transfer.

Clearly designated bus zones along 24 Ave in front of the J.T. Foster building will allow for safe transportation of students throughout the day. We ask parents and the public to avoid these bus zones at all times.

The elementary and junior/senior high school students will have separate spaces in the school including entrances, separate timetables and break times, and separate administration teams. They will continue to operate as distinct schools for the most part. The gymnasium will be shared by all grade levels.

Elementary students will enter and exit the building through the northwest and northeast doors and will have classrooms on the first floor. Administration will have offices in the current Learning Commons space. Students will use the gymnasium. A staff room for all staff will be located on the first floor. 

The first floor will have classrooms, a Learning Commons in "The Den" space, a space for the Family School Liaison Counsellor, and a photocopier space.

Junior/senior high school students will enter and exit the building through the main southeast doors and will have classrooms on the second floor. Administration will maintain their office space on the main floor, and the shop space will stay where it is. Students will continue to use the gymnasium.

The second floor will have classrooms, a Learning Commons, a Foods room, a space for the Family School Liaison Counsellor, and a photocopier space. 

The J.T. Foster gymnasium will be shared by all grade levels for Phys Ed programming, with an optimized schedule. Classes will also supplement with locations in the community, such as the ice arena, pool, and outdoor spaces.

As the current ABD gymnasium will not be available during the 2 year term of the project, all gymnasium-related extracurricular activities will be held in the current  J.T. Foster Gymnasium. 

Junior/senior high school will hold morning practices and practices that go into the evening for teams during respective seasons. There may be more away games than home games during this time. 

With no bleachers in the current gymnasium, spectator accommodation will be considered and planned for. 

Yes! Conditional on sufficient enrollment, A.B. Daley Little Owls Early Learning Program will continue to offer a Reggio-inspired program for 3- & 4-year-old children. It will be located in the northeast corner of the J.T. Foster building, with a separate fenced outdoor play space. Click here to register!

Project architects assure us that there are enough washrooms for the added people in the building. Our Maintenance team will be upgrading plumbing fixtures in July and August 2025 to improve the washrooms.

Livingstone Range School Division Maintenance Department will be working during summer 2025 to address climate control systems in certain areas of the school.

We are working on a plan to move most of the current playground pieces to a new location on the property where they can be enjoyed during decanting and into the future. 

Alberta Education provides some additional playground funding for new builds. As such, a playground feature yet to be determined is included in the plans for the newly-constructed elementary school.

Yes! Classrooms on-campus and off-campus will have all necessary equipment and tools for learning, including interactive displays, white boards, Chromebooks, and spaces for physical activity.

There is no decanting funding provided by the Province in the project budget. While the Board of Trustees can access some non-instructional funds for decanting, these resources are limited. We will have lease agreements with each off-campus site, at reasonable rates rates. We are grateful for their willingness to work with us in the best interest of students.

School jurisdictions are required to submit their capital project requests to Education by the April 1 submission deadline each year. Education’s Capital Planning staff review and evaluate project submissions using the ministry’s criteria for program delivery: Enrollment Pressures, Health and Safety, Building Condition, Efficiency Solutions, Functionality and Programming, Community Renewal, and Legal.  Recent approvals have prioritized enrollment pressures due to significant growth. Health and safety concerns have also received priority for recent approvals.

There is no decanting funding provided in the project budget by the Province. While the Board of Trustees can access some non-instructional funds for decanting, these resources are limited. Working with the community to find workable space while minimizing costs will be important.

If the projects are approved for construction funding by the Alberta government in 2024, the earliest the building stage could begin would be the spring of 2025, which means that decanting will not occur until September 2025.

Typically, additions to the approved school size are realized through community partnerships or additional fundraising by community members. The school division cannot apply for additional grants/funding to upsize the new building; however, there may be additional grant funds available for societies within the Town of Nanton.

If the community is interested in expanding the gymnasium or any other space in the new school they should contact their local school administrator or Associate Superintendent, Mr. Jeff Perry at the LRSD office. Due to changes in construction and infrastructure costs in recent years, consultation with architects/cost consultants will be necessary to determine the estimated amount. 

Community groups wishing to partner with the school or raise funds to support additional space should contact their local school administrator or Associate Superintendent, Mr. Jeff Perry at the LRSD office.

Some community groups have successfully raised a significant amount of funds in a relatively short period of time however, other groups have taken longer. While we currently do not have any idea of when Alberta Education will grant approval, any interested groups can contact their local school administrator or Associate Superintendent Mr. Jeff Perry at the LRSD office to discuss further.

With the exception of 3 & 4 year-olds requiring additional support, Early Learning programs are not included in the funding for new or modernized schools.  In Fort Macleod, the community partnered with the school division to add an Early Learning space on the side of the modernized elementary school. 

It is our intent to build the new elementary school west of J.T. Foster High School. This spot is located on higher ground and will address some of the drainage issues we have experienced with J.T. Foster High School in its present location.

Based on current and projected enrollment numbers the new elementary school will be built for a capacity of 255 FTE (full-time equivalent) students. The layout will be determined through consultation with school administration, division office staff, Alberta Education, architects, and the selected construction company. 

The number of teaching spaces in a new school is determined by the number of students the school has been approved for combined with discussions with school administrators about programming needs.  

“Right-sizing” is matching the physical size of a school or building a school to the “right size” for current enrollment as well as future growth projections. The amount of space determined for a new building differs from that for a modernized building.  A school with a utilization rate of greater than or equal to 85 percent is considered fully utilized.

New construction of schools in Alberta are completed in a way that is designed for future growth. The process for adding to the existing school is outlined by Alberta Education and must meet certain criteria for approval. 

New construction does provide some funding for playground equipment. There is also the possibility of relocating the current A.B. Daley playground to the new site. An analysis by qualified individuals will determine if the current play structures can be safely relocated however this has been completed within the division in the past.  

If A.B. Daley was left untouched, it would continue to meet student needs in the immediate future; however, the Nanton Solution is an approach that considers the long-term vision for education in the community of Nanton for decades to come. Current funding formulas do not provide the same physical space as older buildings, but community approaches such as the Nanton Solution are often favored when seeking approval from Alberta Education.

Communities across the province have come together through partnerships and fundraising efforts to ensure schools within their communities reflect the values of the community. In some areas, this results in larger gymnasiums while in other communities there are additional funds raised for the fine arts and theatrical productions. 

The most noticeable change experienced during new or modernized facilities is the enhancement to all areas of the school including upgraded mechanical systems, flexible classrooms and meeting spaces, appealing school designs for desired programs as well as the ability to better accommodate community groups.

This decision has not been discussed as there is still work to be done in order to determine how the grounds will be impacted. Future discussions will occur between school and division administration and maintenance on this question. 

Typically the responsibility for packing, unpacking and moving is a combined effort. Maintenance supplies boxes for classroom belongings. Staff pack up and label the boxes to ensure they get to the correct location after the move. Maintenance will move the furniture and boxes from one school to another as needed. School staff unpack boxes at the new or modernized site. 

The Nanton Solution became the number one priority of the Livingstone Range School Division in March of 2014.  In the following school years the division began the process of seeking feedback from the community in the form of round table meetings and other engagement sessions. It was discussed at that time that in order to receive funding to modernize our schools there would be the need to right size the schools to be more in line with the actual enrollment. 

By building a new elementary school and modernizing A.B. Daley Community School into the high school we will maintain more overall space.  A greater footprint allows for the ability to have additional options in the design.  It also provides the high school with a larger gymnasium for high school programming and extracurricular events which they need.  The current A.B. Daley gym size is what is considered for a school size of 435 high school students, J.T. Foster High School currently has 200 students.  The gym size approved with a new elementary school is the same size that Alberta Education would approve for a  school of 590 students.  Currently A.B. Daley has 189 FTE Students. 

Through engagement sessions, stakeholders have an opportunity to  provide information as to what type of programming is desirable for students. The design of the building is completed by an architectural firm based on the input provided for desired programming, input from school staff, and consultation with the school and division administration. The design must stay within the approved budget unless additional funds are raised by the community to enhance the facility. 

Our priority is to keep the construction phase timeline as short as possible by working on both the new elementary school and renovating the current A.B. Daley building concurrently. Construction for both schools can take up to three years and will be a minimum of two years.

We hope to move students out of the current A.B. Daley Community School space in order to allow both projects to be completed concurrently.  J.T. Foster High School has excess space that will be utilized to house additional students and we will look for additional spaces with the community of Nanton to house the remainder.

LRSD utilizes numerous communication methods:  social media, School Messenger system, Board Key Messages, School Board Trustees attendance at School Council meetings, as well as school and division websites.