The public school board wants to build three new elementary schools in Barrie’s south end in the coming years to accommodate growth.
The Simcoe County District School Board has prepared a list of capital projects under consideration for the next three-year cycle, including two new elementary schools in southeast Barrie and another in the southwest area of the city.
“The growth in the south end of Barrie is driven largely by the Hewitt’s and Salem secondary plans,” said Brian Jeffs, the board’s superintendent of business and facility services.
It will be up to the Ministry of Education to decide which projects are funded and when.
School board trustees approved the list of capital priorities at the recent business and facilities standing committee meeting, but the final decision has to be approved at the regular board meeting later this month.
The province wants school boards to submit their capital plans by the fall.
In addition to capital priorities, the ministry has also requested applications for child-care funding where there is an identified need. All three south-end Barrie schools, if funding is granted, could also contain a child-care component.
“Access to child-care space is critical for many young parents,” Jeffs said.
In addition to the Barrie schools, the board has also identified the need for new elementary schools in Alcona, Angus and Alliston, a replacement school in Alliston for Banting Memorial, a new secondary school in Bradford, additions at Hillsdale Public School and Tottenham public schools and a new elementary school in Orillia.
