Growth is expected to ramp up in the town of Okotoks with the new water pipeline agreement signed in July.

That growth is expected to affect local schools.

Foothills School Division Assistant Superintendent Drew Chipman says there are two sites, one for Foothills and one for Christ the Redeemer School Division, in the D'Arcy development.

"We're talking with the Town of Okotoks as to how we can make that development work for everybody involved so I think there's lots of things you're going to see happening in the town that focuses on the whole education piece," Chipman says.

They got to talk about a new high school in a meeting with Education minister Adriana Lagrange.

"We did talk about the need for a new high school but also talked about growth in the town as a result partially of that water pipeline announcement and projections for growth in the town," says Superintendent Chris Fuzessy. "That meeting centered on two topics, one the need for the new high school, where that falls within the larger discussion of growth we'll see. We're hoping that will be funded this year."

Fuzessy says they were reassured that announcements on new schools will be made in February as they usually are as part of the larger Provincial budget process by any sitting government.

On insurance costs Fuzessy says they reiterated to the minister that three years ago they paid just under a half-million dollars for property insurance and that's jumped by 400 per cent. 

"If we received more support around insurance we would have a more or less balanced budget."

He says they felt they were heard and hopes to hear something on targeted funding for insurance something this year.