New school planned to open in 3 years in fast-growing St. John's suburb
Just down the road, Paradise has been advocating for a high school and that wasn’t far from anyone’s mind
Mark your school calendars: the Kenmount Terrace neighbourhood in St. John's is getting a new school to the tune of $50 million, and one set to open in the 2026 school year.
Premier Andrew Furey said Thursday the school will be located on Ladysmith Drive, near Petite Forte Drive, an area that he called the community's "heart."
Funding has been allocated over fiscal years, he said, including the most recent provincial budget. In that budget, $1.1 billion was earmarked for infrastructure and $127 million had been set aside for new schools, including the one announced Thursday.
"Your government is committed to reimagining the education system in Newfoundland and Labrador to meet the modern demands of a modern global economy," he said.
At this stage, the school is intended for primary and elementary students.
The school has been a wish for residents of the neighbourhood, which has been growing for the last two decades in former forested areas on the north end of the Kenmount Road arterial that connects St. John's with highways and other municipalities.
Furey emphasized that Newfoundland and Labrador is growing and needs to invest in infrastructure, citing Kenmount Terrace as an example of how quickly communities are changing.
"We are proud that for another consecutive year, after 50 years of straight decline, Newfoundland and Labrador's student population is growing, with enrolment this year expected to reach 64,000 students," he told reporters.
This also fits in with the overall growth in the province, he said, adding that N.L.'s population is at its largest since 1998.
He listed initiatives his government has invested in the 2023 budget, like teaching services, French language support, new computer testing and specialists.
No word yet on Paradise high school
Furey said he hopes shovels will be in the ground soon.
Education Minister Krista Lynn Howell couldn't say how many students the school will serve but said the information will be part of a consultation process.
"As we dig a little deeper into this and figure out what the space that we're identifying will actually look like, then we'll have more concrete answers about that," she said.
They looked at the growth happening in the Kenmount Terrace area and its needs, Howell said, and they saw that its primary and elementary students had needs that should be addressed.
This is the second major school announcement in the last few months. In July, the government revealed that Portugal Cove-St. Philip's would be getting a new high school. However, there has been some controversy over the government's decision to build in the community where the premier lives.
Just down the road from Kenmount Terrace, neighbouring Paradise has been clamoring for a high school for years.
The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District previously identified a school in Paradise as a high priority in its capital management plan. According to emails obtained by CBC News last year, Portugal Cove-St. Philip's wasn't even in the conversation.
Digital Government and Service N.L. Minister Sarah Stoodley said Thursday she knew people in Paradise would be conflicted by today's news.
"So I just want to give a shout-out to the hard-working parents in Paradise who are advocating for their new high school and I look forward to working with my colleagues to see how we can progress that," said Stoodley.
Furey said he and Howell recently met with Paradise Mayor Dan Bobbett the other week. The premier called Bobbett "an incredible advocate" for a new school in that community and added there's a growing "urbanization" on the whole of the northeast Avalon Peninsula.
On top of that, he said, there's continued growth in the number of students enrolled in K-12 schools and the population has increased.
"We don't have the modern infrastructure to support it. Especially given the distribution, which is entirely different than was in the 1990s currently. So we need to make sure that we are meeting the demands of the current population where they exist," said Furey.
Paradise is one of those locations, he said. and they're continuing to work with the mayor. He also said he's willing to work with the group that's formed to advocate for getting a new school.
However, Furey declined to commit to building a high school in Paradise, saying that he'd work with the town to evaluate their needs.
"I don't want to put the decision ahead … of the discussions but I firmly committed to the mayor that we would be progressing that file," he said.
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With files from Henrike Wilhelm
