Secondary choices
Public Schools Branch to decide future of intermediate and senior high school students in Stratford area on Sept. 13
A proposed new secondary school in Stratford was top of mind for about 140 parents who turned out for a Public Schools Branch Board meeting on Wednesday night.
PSB board members and parents heard the results of a consultation process held with parents in the Charlottetown area over the spring and summer. Parents, teachers and community members were asked to provide input on how to best alleviate overcrowding and capacity issues at area schools.
Anna Tan, who recently immigrated to P.E.I., brought her two daughters to the meeting because she felt it was important for their education. She said she was concerned about the long distance her children, who are currently enrolled in Grades 1 and 5 at Stratford Elementary School, would have to travel to attend intermediate and high schools.
“More and more Chinese people, they are focused on their education,” Tan said.
“If we have an intermediate school and a high school, more Chinese people and other immigrants will come to Stratford. So, the population will increase, and
the economic environment will become better.”
Tan’s support for a new school in Stratford was echoed by the majority of parents at the meeting. Town Mayor David Dunphy received loud applause after he told the Board he favoured a proposal for a new build in Stratford.
Due to the steadily increasing population in the Charlottetown area, most intermediate and high schools are projected to be overcapacity by 2022; many are already over-capacity.
Some elementary schools are reaching capacity as well, but
overcrowding is not as acute as at the secondary school level.
“It looks like, with the exception of the two schools we’re going to talk about tonight – West Kent and Spring Park – it looks like in our elementary environment we’re able to meet the needs of our students,” said Parker Grimmer, director of the Public Schools Branch.
Grimmer said, among the five proposals at the secondary level, a slight majority preferred a new school in Stratford over building additions to existing schools, including Charlottetown Rural
and Colonel Gray High Schools or Queen Charlotte Intermediate.
About 230 people responded to the online consultation and close to 70 parents attended physical consultation events. The resulting suggestions from parents were compiled into three proposals at the elementary school level and five at the secondary level.
Two proposals at the secondary level concerned the construction of either a secondary or senior high school in Stratford. Grimmer estimated that construction of a 1,400-student secondary school, accommodating students at the intermediate and high school level, would cost close to $60 million and would take between three and five years to construct. The cost of a high school, accommodating only Grade 10-12 students was pegged at $34 million.
Other secondary school proposals involved building additions to Queen Charlotte Intermediate, Charlottetown Rural High or Colonel Grey High to accommodate hundreds more students. The costs for these builds ranged from $9.5 million for an addition to Queen Charlotte intermediate to $13 million for an expansion to Charlottetown Rural.
The elementary school proposals involved rezoning either the areas of Orchard Hill/Lewis Point Park or the Queen Street Circle, which are currently zoned for English programming at Spring Park Elementary, to West Royalty Elementary.
Another proposal called for rezoning students living on North River Road from West Kent to St. Jean Elementary.
Parents will have a chance to vote both online on these proposals in an online survey, which can be found on the Public Schools Branch website. Responses must be received by Sept. 7.
In addition, the Public Schools Branch will hold public consultation meetings on Sept. 5 at Charlottetown Rural and Sept. 6 at Spring Park Elementary.
The Public Schools Branch will make its final decisions about area schools at a meeting on Sept. 13 at West Kent Elementary.