It's still in the very early planning stages but schools in Blackie and Cayley are being considered for modernizations.

The Director of Planning with the Foothills School Division Monica Kohlhammer says they've been talking with the provincial education ministry about it.

"We did a review of the two schools and some of the costs as they relate to the maintenance, and they Alberta Ed.) also asked for consideration on partnerships with-in the  community," Kohlhammer says. "It's still early days on what that is, but we have had conversations with both communities, the lead groups with those communities and also the MD of Foothills just to see if there are any needs that were identified in the past."

She says that could mean things like a shared community space or a separate entrance that is available for the community after hours.

Kohlhammer says engaging the community is a big part of their work in determining a long term possibilities for the school.

"Maybe it's continuing education, some early learning programs that can be made available, our thinking and our planning from a strategic level will be what other programs are available with-in the division and how might we be able to connect and provide linkages for those if they are identified by the community in meeting their needs," she says.

Kohlhammer says schools in rural communities are a part of the bigger educational learning network and play an important role in the community.