Stratford high school to cost almost $28M more than expected

The new high school set to be built in Stratford, P.E.I., will cost almost $28 million more than expected.

The province unveiled the design of the building, which will occupy about 14 hectares of the town's planned Community Campus off Bunbury Road, at a public meeting Tuesday afternoon.

The Stratford High School building will be "net-zero ready" and fully electric, the province said in a release.

It will use lots of natural light, and feature a two-storey library with a cafe, moveable walls in some areas and space for collaborative working.

Outside, there will be sports fields, space for outdoor classrooms and charging stations for cars and school buses.

"We, in this project, undertook a lot of consultations involving meetings with students and teachers and subject matter experts to try to get this right," said Dylan Mullally, chair of the Stratford Building Committee.

"What we hopefully landed on here today is a flexible building design that can adapt over the next 50 years of its lifespan."

$79M price tag

The province estimates the costs will run to $79 million. That's $27.5 million more than the $51.5-million price tag the government had set in its latest capital budget.

"Costs have escalated on all fronts," said Education Minister Natalie Jameson. "I know that all those involved have tried to ensure that we're doing it in a fiscally responsible way. But that being said, we recognize the importance of making this a state-of-the-art facility.... We didn't want to cut corners."

The high school has been designed for 750 students, with areas set aside for future expansion.

It's slated to open fall 2025, though officials say it's still early in the tendering process and that the timeline may change.

Jill Burridge, finance minister and MLA for Stratford-Keppoch, had been lobbying for the school to be built for years before getting elected to the Legislature this spring.

"Our community has seen a lot of growth," she said. "We have a lot of young families here, a lot of potential students to flow this school. So we're super excited to have this in our community."

Parents like the new school

During an open house Tuesday evening, parents had a chance to provide feedback on the new school.

Ashley Tippett of Alexandra has three children who will get a chance to attend the new school. Her oldest is in Grade 8. She liked what she saw and hopes plans for a new junior high will be rolled out in the community next. 

"They look like they thought of a lot of things. They have the inclusive education in there. They have all the arts and the technology and it looks like it's really modern and and they have a lot of space too, which is a big thing here. We know with Stratford growing in the communities around as well," said Tippett.

"Hopefully the junior high is next in line here, so maybe we'll see that plan now that this one's in place."

The Progressive Conservatives have also pledged to build a new junior high in the town.

While there is no timeline for the junior high school yet, it remains a priority, said Jameson.

Simeon Zladev of Stratford is in Grade 6.  He was excited to see the new school, which he will eventually be able to attend.

"I can't wait until I am going to the school," said Simeon. "I loved everything." 

Sarah Denman-Wood, who is the mother of a seven-year-old, said she's pleasantly surprised given the broad strokes she had heard earlier about the new school.

"A lot more nods to inclusion and accessibility, which I think is extremely important and often left until the last minute and then they try to fit it in," she said.