HomeMy WebLinkAboutHalifax school board members 'surprised' by J.L. Ilsley replacement - Metro Ottawa - 01/25/2017 - Metro Ottawa - 01/25/20171/26/2017 Halifax school board members 'surprised' by J.L. Ilsley replacement
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Hall -fax school l Iboard inneirrnlbeirs 'surprised' Iby J„IL„ Illlllsllley ireplacement
The board had asked for new schools in the north end of Halifax and C.P. Allen High area, with only
renovations in Spryfield.
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1f he a.U.11..... IIII Iley cafeteiria in August 2015, a fteir lii r piroveirneint.,.
By: III°°II4llWy IlRyatun Metro, Published on Wed Jan 25 2017
School board members in Halifax were "surprised” to see the province will replace J.L. Ilsley High School,
despite higher growth elsewhere and a review suggesting a new north end junior high.
Dave Wright, chair of the Halifax Regional School Board (HRSB), said Wednesday he wasn't expecting to
see the province announce funds in the 201 7...18 calpiIal Iplairl flee repl lace the Spryfin61d scl,uoavall, since the
HRSB had only asked for "additions and alterations" on their priority list.
"I would like to know what justification the minister used to change that to a new school construction. There
must be something that I'm not aware of," Wright said before a board meeting Wednesday.
In the HRSB's capital request to the province for 2017-18, Wright said they had only requested a major
renovation to J.L. Ilsley, and added "certainly at some point we will have to do a review process in that
area because enrolment is down."
Wright said while he knows the Spryfield community will be excited, he wasn't expecting a whole new
school there, especially in light of the recent review with the north end community last September. The
board apli hove. d a inew s6ha° oa l to consolidate students from Highland Park Junior High and Grades 7-9 at
Oxford School, and asked the province to agree.
The HRSB list also asked for both a new elementary and junior high in the Charles P. Allen High family,
since Wright said the Hammonds Plains area has seen "explosive growth" in recent years.
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1/26/2017 Halifax school board members 'surprised' by J.L. Ilsley replacement
"The north end of Halifax had a process behind it so we felt it would have some significant weight, and the
pressure in the C.P. Allen family is strong," Wright said.
Even the board member for Spryfield, Linda MacKay, said Wednesday she was surprised to see the J.L.
Ilsley replacement since they've had a few years of liiririipirove iruneirnl:s arou i nd iroof and otlherussue;�u��.
"If you've seen the improvements happening you don't think they're going to come up with a new school,"
MacKay said after the board meeting.
However, the community will obviously be happy since new schools are always exciting, MacKay said,
adding she heard a lot about the desire forIbeUeir liinfurasiru. cture at .Di.11.... on the doorstep.
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