Province to purchase two P3 schools
Buying schools will save province $20 million
The province is purchasing two schools in 2018, including one in Milford.
Karen Casey, Education and Early Childhood Development minister, announced Thursday the province will purchase Riverside Education Centre in Milford, as well as O’Connell Drive Elementary School in Porters Lake when their leases expire in July 2018. The province had leases over 20 years for the P3 (public-private partnership) schools with Nova Learning, and had to inform Nova Learning by the end of the month of its plans.
“Both the Halifax and Chignecto-Central Regional School boards identified these schools as ones that need to stay open to meet the educational needs of students living in the surrounding communities,” said Casey.
“In these two cases, purchasing is more affordable than extending the leases and will provide a long-term solution to providing schools for the area.”
Purchasing the schools will save the province about $20 million. It will invest $8.95 million to purchase Riverside Education Centre, and another $3.95 million to purchase the one in Porters Lake.
There are a total of 39 P3 schools in the province, with seven other Nova Learning schools with decision notes ranging from next July to August 2018. The province is continuing negotiations with developers for the remaining schools.
Nova Learning reached an agreement with the province in June to extend the decision notice dates on its schools to Oct. 31, 2016.