Divisions eye new joint-use high school
Regina Public, Catholic boards to explore facility in southeast
A new, joint-use high school in Regina’s southeast is one step closer to becoming a reality after the city’s school divisions signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore the potential for the project further.
The Catholic and public divisions signed the MOU Tuesday evening at their respective board meetings.
Two community partners — the YMCA and the City of Regina — are also listed on the MOU as potential signatories.
The new joint-use high school would accommodate 800 to 900 students, alleviating the capacity issues both school divisions expect to face by 2025 when the current influx of elementary students hits high school.
Hicks said a new southeast high school would take pressure off of Campbell Collegiate, which could then help out Sheldon-williams Collegiate.
Bob Kowalchuk, board chair for Regina Catholic Schools, said that this would take pressure off of Miller Comprehensive High School.
But the divisions hope the building can become more than just a high school.
In March 2019, representatives from the public and Catholic school divisions, the City of Regina, the Ministry of Education and the Regina YMCA met to talk about the vision of the building.
The MOU states that “it was agreed by participants that a joint use facility provides an opportunity to maximize infrastructure, investment and community in an inclusive and collaborative facility that offers more together than the partners would or could on their own.”
Adam Hicks, a trustee on the Regina Public School board and acting chair at his division’s meeting, said the focus of the building will be on providing a high school, but that by bringing in partners, it can also be a community hub. He used the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child.
“We believe if that village is surrounded by our children and our students that they can thrive in a positive learning space,” he said. “There is no better place to learn and develop and become a leader in our community.”
Each partner who signs the MOU commits to contributing approximately $25,000 to a further feasibility study on the project, for an anticipated total of $100,000. The study will look at a number of factors, including facility requirements, location and land acquisition, creating a capital plan, looking into provincial and federal funding available and other logistics. The study does not guarantee that the project will happen. Signatories are not committing to the final project, but only to the preliminary planning.
Steve Compton, CEO of the Regina YMCA, said Wednesday the organization is prepared to sign the MOU now that the school divisions have given it the go-ahead.
“Our focus as an organization has always been around youth and families so if this feasibility does take us somewhere in the future ... we think it’s an excellent opportunity to explore,” he said.
“By coming together, we may all be able to bring more to the table for the citizens in that area in the long term.”
The City of Regina has not yet signed the MOU, and its executive committee is to discuss the project at a March 11 meeting.
Hicks said the Ministry of Education has expressed support for the project idea, but has not yet committed any funding. If and when that government funding comes will determine when the facility can be built. With planning expected to take at least a year, and construction on a facility like this running at least three years, Hicks said it would be “silly” to expect the school to be completed by 2025, although he hopes it will come not too long after that.
Kowalchuk agreed, saying it is too early to get really excited about the project. “It’ll be exciting when we get down to where we actually are having drawings and a plan that we can look at ... but right now this is all very, very preliminary.”