The Foothills School Division is looking at the addition of a new trustee.

Currently the division has five trustees with one assigned to each ward, but with the populations of each ward having changed since the last review in 1995 the division had an updated review done which has recommended a second trustee be brought on for Ward 4 in Okotoks.

Drew Chipman, assistant superintendent, says Ward 4 has over doubled in population since the last review in '95.

"We were using the 2015 census number but Okotoks was over 28,000 in 2015 so if you look at how that works with the others it really made great sense to add one trustee to Ward 4 and that puts them right within the bands of plus or minus 25% that both the provincial and federal government use when they're establishing their boundaries."

Chipman says the board's approved the change but next the bylaw needs changed followed by administerial approval.

"We've got an information session for February 9 at Okotoks Junior High," he says. "Once that's done we'll be taking the bylaw to the trustees to vote on February 15 and should that bylaw be successful and receive support for all three readings then we'll send that off to the minister and ask him to make that approval."

Should that approval happen it'll be in effect for the civic elections this fall where the trustees would be elected.

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