New Schools set for Windsor-Essex

 

By: Brandon Koskitalo

Windsor and Tecumseh will each see the construction of a new school after receiving funding from the Ontario government.

A new home for French Immersion students will be available as a new Giles Public French Immersion Elementary School is set to be built. The students are currently attending school at W.D Lowe Secondary. D.M. Eagle Public School in Tecumseh is also being rebuilt as part of the project.

Around $15 million will be available for each project. The funding was granted as a result of the Program and Accommodation Review recommendations for South Windsor, made in 2011 from the government of Ontario.

These announcements were followed by a wave of government spending throughout the province to bring in new schools, update existing buildings and bring in new child care spaces across Ontario. Almost $500 million is being distributed. The plan is to provide students with updated facilities and learning environments while also providing reliable, quality childcare to families close to home.

“It creates a synergy, it creates some stability for families who just have one stop instead of two or three and there’s certainly benefits to it,” said Scott Scantlebury, public relations officer for the Greater Essex District School Board. “It’s worked before, it’s a very effective and efficient model.”

In the coming months, construction will begin on 30 new schools as well as 26 significant renovations on existing buildings all over Ontario.

“We’re looking for somewhere in the 2018-2019 school year, just between design and construction is about two years,” said Scantlebury. “They will not be built on the current sites. You usually need between six and seven acres for a proper elementary school and recreational areas.”

The new schools will each hold 700 students as well as facilities for 75 children in the day care program.

“It’s an exciting time in the public school board and it has been for a while. We have good fortune and it’s certainly more than luck. Our staff are very good at planning projects and executing the projects and we bring them in on or around budget and on time,” said Scantlebury. “It’s always nice to be building new schools and providing good new facilities for students to learn and for teachers to work so it’s very exciting.”