Booming Airdrie pleads for schools

About 200 parents and students gathered in Airdrie's city hall Thursdayevening to lobby provincial officials to do something about the booming city's overcrowded schools.

One-third of the students in Airdrie, the country's fastest growing city, go to classes in portables temporary trailers attached to the main buildings according to meeting organizers.

"We are in a desperate situation for schools here in Airdrie. We are just crammed and we need schools and none have been announced. That is why we are here tonight," said Donna Pearce, who heads the parents group that spearheaded the event.

"In my classes we're looking at 30, 35 people. And our school just isn't equipped to handle that," said Grade9 student Kate Jacobson.

Infrastructure Minister Ray Danyluk, one of three cabinet ministers who attended the meeting, said the province is trying to address the problem.

'We are in a desperate situation for schools here in Airdrie' Donna Pearce, meeting organizer

But Danyluk did not commit the government to building the twoor three new schools meeting organizers said the city needs.

"Are we trying to address the population issues, whether they be education or healthcare? Yes we are," he said, adding that if oil and gas prices stay high, the purse strings could loosen.

While the city waits for more schools to be approved, existing oneshave been forcedto re-configure rooms to accommodate all the students, said Don Thomas, a public school board trustee.

"We've got one elementary school where we've taken the library and made it into a much smaller library and two classrooms," he said. "In that same school they've had to take the music room it's gone because they needed it too."

According to Airdrie-Chestermere MLA Rob Anderson, who used to be anAlberta ProgressiveConservative, a lack of action on issues such as building new schools isthe reason hecrossed the floor to sit with the Wildrose Alliance party.