N.S. announces sites for new schools with 5-year, $948-million plan

Nova Scotia’s provincial government revealed the agenda for its five-year “school capital plan” during an announcement in Lunenburg County on Friday.

Some priorities for the $948-million plan included building four new replacement schools and four new schools in the Halifax area to address increasing enrollment.

The details of the plan were delivered by Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Becky Druhan at the New Germany Elementary School, which is one of the schools said to be replaced, along with the village’s high school, to create a consolidated pre-primary to Grade 12 school. The plan contains about $263 million in funding for replacement schools.

“Our new capital plan addresses aging school infrastructure and population growth in communities across Nova Scotia,” said Druhan. “We are working with our partners and taking a strategic approach to facility replacement and upgrades, as well as land acquisitions, across the province.”

A release from the province said the location of the two other replacement schools will be announced soon.

“Investment in education is also an investment in the future of our students and our community, while laying the foundation for generations to come,” said Nancy Pynch-Worthylake, the regional executive director for the South Shore’s Regional Centre for Education.

“We are looking forward to seeing students and staff collaborating, creating, and reaching their full potential in this new and modernized facility.”

In the Halifax area, four new schools are expected to be built in “growth areas” once building sites have been identified. The province will also be making investments to preserve existing schools, with $120 million going towards creating modular classrooms and $54 million for additional repairs in schools.

More than half of the capital budget will be spent on completing projects that were previously announced, with $511 million being distributed to two new schools in Bedford that will be opening in September and the new Clayton Park-Fairview junior high.

“The province is investing $948 million in the five-year plan; $240.8 million was announced in March as part of the provincial capital plan and $707.2 million is new funding.” a release from the province confirmed.

Construction is underway for the Eastern Shore Consolidated School in Musquodobit, N.S., and for the St. Joseph’s-Alexander McKay Elementary School in Halifax.

The province said that site selection will continue in Cape Breton for an elementary school in the Glace Bay area and one in the Northside.