FREDERICTON (GNB) – The provincial government will invest $110.24 million during the 2023-24 fiscal year to support its goal of building a world-class education system in public schools.

The funding includes $5.5 million for three new projects, $13.1 million for the provincewide ventilation program, and $91.64 million for ongoing construction projects, equipment, improvements, repairs and the dust collector program to ensure schools remain safe for students and staff.

“An investment in our schools is an investment in the future of our province,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Bill Hogan. “Creating more modern learning environments both enables and inspires student learning by giving them the tools they need to succeed.”

The new projects include a kindergarten-to-Grade 12 school to replace Shediac Cape School, a kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school in Campbellton, and a replacement for Hazen White-St. Francis and Centennial schools in Saint John.

These projects will support students by renewing infrastructure and addressing space deficiencies created by increased enrolment.

“Seeing a new school for Shediac Cape on this list may come as a surprise to some, as it is not a project that had previously been identified as a priority,” said Hogan. “Currently, with a rapidly growing population, Shediac Cape School is over capacity by 50 per cent. Construction of a new school is necessary to address this significant space deficiency. Replacing the kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school with a kindergarten-to-Grade 12 school will also help alleviate enrolment pressures on Moncton area high schools, where students from Shediac Cape currently attend.”

Four projects at various stages of planning and construction will continue:

  • construction of a new kindergarten-to-Grade 5 school on Cuffman Street in Fredericton
  • construction of a new kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school in Moncton’s west end
  • construction of a new kindergarten-to-Grade 5 school on McAdam Avenue in Fredericton
  • design of a new kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school for Saint John’s central peninsula

Projects are identified as priorities annually through the department’s capital planning and evaluation process, using the Quadruple Bottom Line Analysis as a tool. The department also made public today the priority ranking list for school infrastructure projects for 2023-24.

“Using these tools and making the results public is an important part of ensuring we are transparent about how we make decisions regarding educational infrastructure,” said Hogan. “We know there are several projects local communities and district education councils wanted to see move forward, and we will continue to work with districts to meet the needs of our students and communities.”

As part of the 2023-24 capital budget, the department has included the Stable Departmental Infrastructure Priorities planning tool. This allows district education councils to better determine which improvement projects, if any, for their schools will be required in the next five years. Unless there is a significant change in scope or an emergency situation, each project on the Stable Departmental Infrastructure Priorities list will remain there until it is funded. While there is no guarantee that a project will be approved within a certain time frame, it will not need to be resubmitted by district education councils year after year. The following projects are included on this year’s list:

  • new kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school to replace several schools in Carleton County
  • upgrade and addition for École Saint-Henri
  • new school to replace George Street Middle School
  • new school to replace Salisbury Elementary School
  • upgrade for Polyvalente W.-Arthur-Losier
  • new school to replace Forest Hill and Liverpool Street schools
  • addition for École Abbey-Landry
  • upgrade for Polyvalente Louis-J.-Robichaud
  • new school to replace Inglewood and Grand Bay Primary schools
  • new school to replace Forest Glen and Sunny Brae schools
  • upgrade and addition for École Mathieu-Martin
  • upgrade and addition for École Sainte-Anne
  • upgrade and addition for Bonar Law Memorial High School
  • new kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school for Oromocto
  • upgrade for Riverview High School
  • upgrade for Oromocto High School
  • upgrade for École Amirault

New high-ranking projects are added to the list annually.

 

07-12-22