An application for capital funding to build a regional joint-use high school that would be located in the RM of Corman Park between the cities of Martensville and Warman is currently before the provincial Ministry of Education.
The application was filed jointly by Prairie Spirit School Division (PSSD) and the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools (GSCS) Division.
The application has the support of three municipalities: The City of Warman, the City of Martensville, and the RM of Corman Park. Elected councils in all three municipalities recently approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the two school divisions in support of the application.
The MOU lays out a framework under which the parties “agree to collaborate to develop a concept plan for a new development which may include a joint school located between the Cities of Martensville and Warman.”
The MOU is non-binding, and does not commit any of the parties financially.
While the MOU obliges all parties to maintain confidentiality on sensitive details as discussions on the project take place in the coming months, the MOU itself is a public document. All three municipal councils approved it at meetings in February.
The MOU provides that “PSSD and GSCS will enter into a contract with an architectural firm to produce a business case and conceptual design pending Ministry of Education funding.” It also provides that “The City of Martensville and the City of Warman will work with the RM of Corman Park to determine the feasibility of a shared development within the RM of Corman Park.”
Among the ideas being discussed by the municipal councils is the potential for including a regional recreational facility within or attached to the joint-use school. The Blairmore Integrated Facility in Saskatoon (which includes the Shaw Centre, Bethlehem High School and Tommy Douglas High School) is cited as a potential model.
The “regional node” where the school would be located may also eventually include other regional facilities, such as an RCMP building, to provide services for all three municipalities. Discussions on a potential regional RCMP building have been ongoing for several years between Warman, Martensville and RCMP officials.
The Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth (P4G) land use map has tentatively identified the location for a regional node between the two cities near Township Road 384, although the exact site is still far from finalized.
PSSD Education Director Darryl Bazylak confirmed both PSSD and GSCS have made application to the Ministry of Education for a joint-use regional high school.
“Based on the projected growth of enrolment in both Martensville and Warman, we anticipate that there will be a need for a new high school within three to five years,” said Bazylak. “Prairie Spirit is looking at high school for Grades 9 through 12. Warman High School will likely be at capacity a little sooner than Martensville High School, but eventually they’ll both be at that level.”
The proposed regional high school could see a combined capacity, at full build-out, of about 1,000 students in both the public and Catholic schools. If it is built in phases, the initial phase could see an enrolment of about 300 to 400 students.
Bazylak said the regional high school is the second-highest priority on the school division’s annual capital projects list submitted to the Ministry of Education. Its first priority is a school at Leask, and its third priority is a project at Langham.
He confirmed the regional high school is also the second-highest priority for the GSCS.
“We have provided the government with our capital list, as we do every year, and they are taking a look at it,” said Bazylak. “We are looking at the long-term; planning three to five years down the road. In order for construction to happen in the future, we have to submit our list now.”
The province normally lays out its spending plan, including capital projects for education, in its annual budget unveiled in March. Bazylak said there is no expectation any announcement on the regional high school project will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.
“It is much more likely, if it’s approved, that it could be in the budget in March of 2023,” he said. “We’re certainly hoping they will announce something at that time.
“It’s a unique project, with so many partners working together to serve a big area. The government has indicated in the past that it encourages regional cooperation, and this certainly is a good example of that.”
Bazylak said past partnerships between PSSD and GSCS on the two joint-use elementary schools in Warman and Martensville helped pave the way for the current project. Prior to taking on the role of PSSD Education Director, Bazylak was a senior official with GSCS, and was involved in those discussions.
Warman Mayor Gary Philipchuk said support for the regional high school, and the larger ‘regional node’, is the logical extension of the P4G process.
“The discussions and planning we’ve had over the years through P4G has allowed each community to see the big picture,” said Philipchuk. “It’s allowed us to work together for facilities that will serve all our needs. Each community is different, but there are so many areas where we can work together to achieve things we would never be able to on our own”
Philipchuk said the MOU doesn’t tie the hands of elected officials, but simply gives each party the opportunity to conduct discussions.
“All it’s saying is: ‘how can we best serve the City of Warman and the rest of the area?’ It’s exciting, but also a little nerve-wracking,” he said. “Anytime there is the opportunity for this type of investment in our region, we need to be at the table.”
Martensville Mayor Kent Muench is also confident the MOU will be helpful in bringing additional school capacity to the region.
“It’s not unusual for the school divisions to work together on joint capital proposals,” said Muench. “We’ve seen that before with the P3 schools, for example.
“But what is unique with this is that there are three municipalities signing on to support the project.
“It’s an incredible opportunity to have a regional school in the RM of Corman Park between the two cities, and I think that comes back to the core philosophy of the P4G process. A regional node makes a lot of sense in many ways because it serves a larger community in the most cost-effective way.”
Corman Park Reeve Judy Harwood said the MOU is simply the first step in the process, and there is still considerable work to be done before the proposed regional high school becomes a reality.
“We’ve agreed to have discussions, and we agree with the concept,” said Harwood. “It’s exciting to see the proposed location for the school is in Corman Park.”