Last week, the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board (KPRDSB) submitted their capital budgeting priorities to the Ministry of Education (MOE) for the upcoming budget year.
The submission included detailed project proposals for funding to address current accommodation needs. Among the priorities were funding requests to build new schools in Newcastle and Millbrook, and an addition to Buckhorn PS, in order to address ongoing enrolment growth in these areas.
“We are committed to securing funding to address the accommodation needs of our students across all areas of our board, but with a focused priority in the Newcastle/Clarington and Millbrook areas,” says Jaine Klassen Jeninga, Chairperson of the Board. “These areas have been our top priorities in the most recent rounds of capital submissions, and we will continue actively work through all available avenues, to secure the funding needed to build new schools to serve these communities.”
Among the five priority funding requests, the Millbrook build was ranked as the second for the board, following a new build in Newcastle which is also experiencing significant residential development. There are long-standing safety concerns about the intermediate and secondary schools in this area which are located on Highway 115.
A site for the new elementary school has been identified in the Towerhill North subdivision on Fallis Line. The board has asked for funding to establish a JK to Grade 8 school for 481 students plus a four-room childcare centre at this location.
Despite the fact that this will be the third time that a new elementary school in Millbrook has been included in the Board’s capital request, the project is unlikely to receive a green light from the Ministry. According to local Trustee Angela Lloyd, there are building plans that are shovel ready as soon as the build is approved. Unfortunately, one of the criteria the Ministry requires to proceed with a project is that the site be included in a registered Plan of Subdivision. The Towerhill North development is not yet at the stage in the approval process but is expected to get there in 2025. Maybe next year? KG