Here's where the TVDSB wants 8 new schools to be built
CBC
The largest school board in southwestern Ontario will ask the province to fund the construction of eight new schools to accommodate booming enrolment across the region.
Staff with the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) will ask its board members Tuesday to approve project submissions that it believes are critical to student needs.
Currently, hundreds of children are learning in portables or in at-capacity classrooms in the London area, with enrolement having hit a record high level of approximately 85,000 students. TVDSB Director Mark Fisher said earlier this month that the school board gained 6,000 additional students in the past four years.
Here are the locations, in order of priority, and the reason TVDSB staff say funding is necessary:
This school would take in students in the developing Riverbend and Byron area, including students who are currently at a crowded Byron Somerset P.S. Staff say the period to acquire the only "school block" in that part of London expires in Aug. 2024.
"Securing this block is of paramount importance to ensure that a neighbourhood school can be built in this area," the staff report said.
The town north of London continues to grow rapidly. Wilberforce P.S., which covers the Township of Lucan-Biddulph, currently has 10 portables. Staff say with growth projections, a new school is a must.
This part of the city opened the doors on a new school in 2022, and even on opening day, Summerside P.S. was at capacity with 12 portables added. Enrolment there was capped with staff saying the number of students is expected to surpass 1,000 in the next two years.
Space is so tight, some students are being sent to John P. Robarts P.S. this year.
"There is significant new development planned in this area of London and a new elementary school is required to manage this continued growth," the staff report said.
Enrolment was capped at White Oaks P.S. this past Sept. and it's currently considered a "holding school" for children in the area. Another holding school for the area is Lambeth P.S. and it's being capped in Jan. 2024.
Staff say that despite a new school being built in Talbot Village, in the southwest end, it won't be enough, and a second new elementary school is necessary.
A new subdivision is planned in Ingersoll in the southend of the town. Staff say that the two schools in the community are already at capacity, with insufficient space at the third regional school, Laurie Hawkins P.S. They say an addition is also impossible at Harrisfield P.S. because there isn't enough room on the property.
A unique arrangement is in the works in the Thamesford area with Zorra Township partnering with the TVDSB to open a joint facility that would include both a school and community space. While not finalized, staff said a new housing development in the community east of London in the former Maple Leaf processing plant will see more families move to the area.