Members of the Anglophone East District Education Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to recommend the province move ahead with a Grade 6 to 8 school for the overcrowded north end of Moncton.

Image | Tamara Nichol

Caption: Tamara Nichol, chair of the Anglophone East District Education Council, says there was a "robust" discussion but in the end the decision to recommend a new 6 to 8 school for the north end was unanimous. (CBC)

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The decision had to be made between a kindergarten to Grade 8 school or a Grade 6 to 8 school after a report released in September by Ernst and Young found the best option to alleviate the overcrowding at Evergreen Park and Northrop Frye Schools was to build a new school in the area.

DEC chair Tamara Nichol says the meeting was moved to Bernice McNaughton High School at the last minute because a large crowd was expected for the discussion, but in the end only one parent and the principal from Evergreen Park attended.

"The council ultimately decided that they were going to go with the best option that Ernst and Young came up with which was a six to eight school," Nichol said.

She says the best option in the long term to support the population growth is a middle school.

"There was actually quite a robust discussion about the pros and cons of k to eights versus six to eights. There was a lot of discussion on the location of the school, cost of the school, you know students social life and how that would be affected."

Nichol says in the end the council members didn't feel there was significant evidence that one type of school was better.

"It was a unanimous vote so everyone was on board at the end although there were several councilors that were leaning toward the K-8 school."

The Ernst and Young report recommended a new Grade 6 to 8 school be built in the north end of Moncton and that Evergreen Park and Northrop Frye schools become kindergarten to Grade 5 schools.

The report says a new middle school would cost approximately $1.3 million less than a similarly sized kindergarten to Grade 8 school.

Nichol says the minister of education will be notified of the recommendation of the DEC and it is now up the province to determine whether it moves forward.

"A new school probably wouldn't be built before three years," Nichol said.