New K-8 school in Brandon will be open by September 2020, province announces
New school will in city's southeast corner needed to 'accommodate the tremendous growth' in Brandon: premier
The first classes will be in a new long-awaited, and much-needed, K-8 school in Brandon at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister announced on Thursday.
"Its been a long time coming and we are very, very excited," said Linda Ross, board chair for the Brandon School Division. "It's been such a long time."
The new school will be built at the corner of Maryland Avenue and Ninth Street in the city's southeast corner, Pallister, Education Minister Ian Wishart and school division officials announced in Brandon on Thursday. A construction tender on the new school will be issued November and construction is expected to be complete by September 2020.
The new school was first announced as part of the government's 2018 budget earlier this year. It was one of five new schools promised by the province in this year's budget.
Brandon is Manitoba's second-largest city, with a population of nearly 49,000 people as of 2016, according to census data. Along with expected population growth, the city has seen growth from newcomers arriving to work at Maple Leaf Foods and in other sectors. Many have since brought families to the city.
The school will be nearly 66,000 square feet and have a capacity for 450 students, but could be expanded to accommodate up to 675 students, the province said.
Schools at, over capacity
Ross said the new school, which will have 14 classrooms along with art, science, music and child-care spaces, will be a welcome addition to the city, since the majority of the schools right now are at or over capacity.
According to data provided by the school division at the start of this school year, 11 of its 19 K-8 schools are at or above 100 per cent capacity. Another three are more than 90 per cent full.
"Neighbourhoods are built around schools," Ross said. "If there isn't a school, communities tend not to thrive.
"It's really critical to this area to have a school."
