The Chinook's Edge School Division decided at its board meeting last Wednesday to sign a letter of intent with the Commodity Purchasing Program to explore the option of purchasing wind power from it at some point in the future.At the previous board meeting, Duane Reid-Carlson explained to trustees that the program, a collaboration between several school boards across the province, is exploring the possibility of generating its own wind power, which could save CESD money in the future.Allan Tarnoczi, associate superintendent of corporate services with the CESD, explained to trustees last week that the letter they were being asked to sign would be to signal interest in pursuing an equity stake in the consortium.“We and a number of other school districts in the province have entered into a consortium to buy power, trying to get a deal on it, and this consortium is trying to work on all its members' behalf to find the best deals for power. And one of the things they're thinking about doing as their contract expires (next year) is (looking) at options,” he said, noting that one of the options is developing their own power.“If the board sees that as a viable business option … they may choose at a later time to endorse that,” he said.Tarnoczi said the consortium is still in the embryonic stages of developing a business plan and hopes to have that put together by about May or June.“At some point, they may have a viable project and then we'll hear the board considering that,” he said.The letter sparked much discussion, with some trustees expressing concern about the potential cost to the division of going ahead with such an agreement, although no costs have yet been finalized. The vote on the motion was 5-3, with Sherry Cooper (Penhold/River Glen/Poplar Ridge), Jo-Anne Knispel-Matejka (Sylvan Lake) and Gordon Kerr (Didsbury), voting against the motion.Rural education symposium to take place in Red DeerSeveral board members and division staff will be travelling to Red Deer on March 2 to take part in a Rural Education Sustainability Symposium. The symposium will focus on topics such as funding, transportation, site-based management, school closures, Career Training Studies and technology, among others that are of interest to rural divisions around the province. The symposium will also be webcast.
