Town of Stratford considers what new junior and senior high school could look like

The mayor of Stratford continues to push for the town to have its own school for junior and senior high school students.

David Dunphy is hoping the town can partner with the province when it comes to its long-term growth strategy for schools.

A public meeting will be held Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. at Stratford Town Hall to reveal plans of what a new school complex could look like.

"We've come up with sort of a mockup we'll say of what a property would look like, a 100-acre property for example, that would have a junior high and senior high and sports fields, arena and those kinds of things," Dunphy said.

'Consult with residents'

"What we want to do is consult with our residents to see what they think of this long-term vision for Stratford."

Dunphy says about 1,000 students from grades 7 to 12 are bused into Charlottetown, and expects that number to grow over the next 10 years.

"We feel fairly strongly that the proper long term solution for the greater Charlottetown area for at least [Grade] 7 to 12 students is to put school infrastructure in Stratford where the students are," he said.

Dunphy said the town and  Public Schools Branch are at odds over how much growth is expected in Stratford — including its two elementary schools — over the next 10 years.

Grew 38 per cent in 6 years

Dunphy said from 2010 to 2016, the town grew by 38 per cent, and continues to grow by three to five per cent a year.

"We don't see that stopping any time soon based on the development that we have in the town currently and the projected developments based on the subdivisions that have been approved the last couple of years," he said.

Besides serving its students better, Dunphy said the long-term benefits of building a school in Stratford would be saving on bussing costs, fuel and carbon emissions.

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