On January 29th & 30th, 2025, the Board of Trustees of Holy Spirit Catholic School Division hosted two evening public engagement sessions to consult about changes to our existing boundaries, as well as the establishment of a boundary for our new west Lethbridge elementary school, opening in September 2026. These in person meetings were followed by a period of online engagement, with one consistent video presentation and four questions for discussion.
The feedback findings can be found by clicking here or in the information below. The Holy Spirit Catholic School Division will be holding their next Boundary Review Consultation Sessions on Thursday, March 27th, 2025, at St. Teresa of Calcutta School and on Monday, March 31st, 2025, at Father Leonard Van Tighem School. Both sessions will run from 7:00PM to 8:00PM. All Holy Spirit families and members of the public are invited to come.
Summary of Survey Feedback Themes
Question 1: What are your first impressions about the information that has been provided to you?
Respondents highlighted a variety of impressions:
- The rapid population growth in specific areas, particularly West Lethbridge, and the strain this is placing on school capacity, and the need for boundary adjustments to balance enrollment across schools.
- Questions about how boundaries will change, the impact on specific communities, and the need for thoughtful consideration of friendships, neighborhoods, and specialized programs (e.g., fine arts, French immersion).
- Concerns about overcrowding in existing schools, the need for additional middle and high school infrastructure, and the potential impact on class sizes and student experiences. Transportation was also a concern.
- Many appreciated the division’s efforts to share data, engage the community early, and provide clear information on enrollment and growth projections.
Question 2: What concerns do you have that you would like us to be aware of?
Respondents expressed a variety of concerns, including
- Children having to change schools, worries about siblings being separated, and a desire for current students to be “grandfathered” into their existing schools despite boundary changes.
- Questions about logical and geographically sensible boundaries, ensuring families stay within nearby schools.
- Anxiety over large class sizes impacting student learning and teacher well-being, as well as worries about maintaining the quality of current academic and extracurricular programs, adequate staffing, and resources, particularly for students with special needs.
- Concerns that new schools being built may not have enough capacity to accommodate growing populations, and requests for additional support and upgrades for older schools in the division.
- Frustration with current bussing policies and logistics, particularly for families with children in the same school but different eligibility for transportation, transportation for specialized programs (like French Immersion and Fine Arts), and requests for bus access for students living close to certain schools but zoned elsewhere.
Question 3: What suggestions might you have that would help us to address those concerns?
Respondents made a variety of suggestions, including:
- Grandfathering current students and their siblings to remain in their existing schools.
- Establish clear, geographically logical boundary lines to reduce congestion, with students attending theirnearest school.
- Enforcing boundaries consistently while offering flexibility for specialized programs (French Immersion, Fine Arts, etc.).
- Exploring turning FLVT into a dedicated junior high or middle school and making CCH West a standalone high school.
- Building new schools, particularly in the north and west, to meet growing population demands.
- Upgrading existing schools, such as OLA and SFJH, and consideration for adding portable classrooms tomanage overcrowding.
- Collaboration with Blackfoot Elders for land recognition at new school sites and include sensory rooms innew builds.
- Evaluation of operations in current schools to ensure quality facilities, staffing, and resources.
- Review and revision of transportation eligibility to ensure siblings at the same school have access tobussing.
- Maintaining open and transparent communication with parents and stakeholders throughout the boundary review process.
Question 4: What aspirations or hopes do you have?
Respondents identified a variety of aspirations and hopes, including:
- Small class sizes, quality programming, and equitable access to resources across all Holy Spirit schools.
- Consistent, high-quality education with dedicated, motivated staff who foster student growth.
- Continued support for Fine Arts, French Immersion, and diverse programming.
- New and larger schools, particularly in high-growth areas like the west side, to reduce overcrowding and support future growth.
- Grandfathering current students and siblings to remain in their existing schools to maintain friendships and community ties.
- Opportunities for families and staff to contribute to the naming and development of the new school.
- Strong community collaboration with local businesses, the city, parishes, and the division to support infrastructure growth and program development.
- Continued Catholic values and traditions within the division.
- Transparent communication with families throughout the boundary review process.
- Clear expectations around transportation, including bussing options for siblings and specialized programs.
- Fair access to education for all students, regardless of geographic location, ensuring no school is at a disadvantage.
- Opportunities for families to choose schools that best meet their needs, with equitable resources provided to all schools.
Conclusion and Next Steps
The Board of Trustees Boundary Subcommittee will:
- Review the detailed feedback as well as the themes identified above.
- Use that feedback to inform the development of options for draft boundaries for a future community engagement.
- Communicate the location and timing of in person and online engagements in advance this spring (tentatively scheduled for late March).
- Analyze that feedback and create final recommendations for approval by the Board of Trustees prior to the summer of 2025.
Once approved, any boundary changes will be communicated to the community one year in advance of their effective date.