Montreal

Crowded Edinburgh Elementary School rejects idea of sending students to an annex

Edinburgh Elementary School has decided to reject the idea of an annex at another location and instead, is asking for modular classrooms and an extension.

Montreal West school community wants modular classrooms, ultimately a permanent extension

Michael Rodger, the chair of the school’s governing board, said parents want to keep the community of students in one place. (Sudha Krishnan/CBC)

Edinburgh Elementary School has decided to reject the idea of an annex at another location and instead, is asking for modular classrooms and an extension.

The Montreal West school is over capacity with about 400 students despite only having room for 330.

The English Montreal School Board offered an annex at the former St. Ignatius facility on Coronation Street in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

However, in the interest of keeping the school community together, the administration is declining the offer and asking that five modular classrooms be added to the school as a short term solution.

But ultimately, the school would like a permanent extension.

"The strong majority of the parents, over 82 percent, preferred the modular classroom option over status quo and the junior campus idea," said the chair of the school's governing board, Michael Rodger.

He said the overcrowding has been going on for years and hopes an extension can be ready by the next school year.

The school is asking the EMSB to approve an extension. (Sudha Krishnan/CBC)

EMSB spokesperson Mike Cohen said the plan is still "in a period of consultation."

"What they're doing is exactly what we asked them to do," he said.

Edinburgh will present the EMSB with a brief early next week, which will then be shared with the school council Wednesday night so it can come to a decision on how to proceed.