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Parents brace for big changes in St. Vital schools

WINNIPEG — Parents and students in south Winnipeg face a shakeup as the Louis Riel School Division realigns schools to accommodate growing French immersion enrolment.

The division office was packed as board members unanimously approved a plan that will create the first middle school in Louis Riel to alleviate pressure on current elementary schools.

“We came up with criteria that was important to the people, “ said division superintendent Duane Brothers. “Sustainability of French immersion, sustainability of English programs and proximity for kids.”

The division has two French immersion schools in south St. Vital that are overcrowded, and six English-only schools with plenty of room to spare.

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George McDowell — currently an English-only kindergarten to Grade 8 school with 388 students — will house grades 6 to 8 French immersion.

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That move will allow École Julie-Riel (522 students) and École St Germain (approximately 500 students), currently kindergarten to Grade 8, to become kindergarten to Grade 5 schools.

Current George McDowell students will move to Dr. D. W. Penner School, H. S. Paul School, Highbury School and possibly Samuel Burland School, school officials said. All of those schools are currently under capacity. Dr. D. W. Penner School holds only 108 students in a building with capacity for 325 students, H. S. Paul has 355 students and capacity for 510, Highbury has 289 students and capacity for 450, while Samuel Burland holds 417 students and capacity for 480.

While many parent say they understand the need for change, not everyone is happy about it. Some parents say they’re looking at the possibility of paying for a charter bus because of the distance they live from their new school.

“We have the current school in our backyard — we’re three minutes away. With the changes, my kids will have to leave an hour early for school, ” Jennifer Johnson, who has two children, told Global News. “It will be public transit and at least two buses to get there now.”

The division says preparation for the move will start as early as tomorrow and kids will start attending their new schools on Sept. 2.

“Transportation requirements are minimal and we are confident we can handle them,” Brothers said in a news release.

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