George Street Middle School replacement 'long overdue,' says committee vice-chair

Pamela Kitchen went to George Street Middle School. So did her husband.

Her oldest son attended the school, and now, her youngest is a student there.

But she was extremely pleased to hear that the aging school is on a list of new school projects in the capital budget.

"It is long overdue," she said.

Parent Pamela Kitchen says the George Street school doesn't have enough drop-off space, parking or outdoor space. (CBC)

The Fredericton project will be a complete replacement for George Street Middle, but a location has not been  determined.

Kitchen, who is also the vice-chair of the parent school support committee, said the committee came to a consensus that the school's infrastructure is old and in need of replacement.

She said there are other problems with the school, built as a high school almost 100 years ago. The school sits in the heart of downtown, including lack of parking, insufficient bus drop-off space and very limited outdoor space.

She also stressed that the carbon dioxide levels in the school are frightening for parents.

Carbon dioxide levels were tested in public schools across the province last winter. In results released this fall, George Street Middle School had the highest levels, including a peak reading that was more than double the Department of Education's threshold.

The total capital budget for education in 2024-25 would be $187.4 million — a 50 per cent increase over what the government's multi-year plan had laid out for the year.

Education Minister Bill Hogan says a new school would take three to five years to complete, but the government is looking for ways to build new schools faster. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)

Finance Minister Ernie Steeves said Tuesday that enrolment in provincial schools has spiked by 7,200 students in just two years and is forecast to grow by another 6,000 in the next four years.

Education Minister Bill Hogan said in an interview with Information Morning Fredericton on Thursday that it's "a wonderful time for education in terms of building new schools."

"Just two, three short years ago, we were looking at closing schools," he said. "We're now looking at how can we keep some schools open? And we're building new schools because of the influx of new students."

Last year, three new schools were announced, and the year before that, two.

Hogan said that normally, a new school would take three to five years to complete, but the government is looking to see if there are ways to build the schools faster.

He said there are other schools, not on the list, that likely need replacement, but the reality is "we can only build so many schools at one time, there are only so many companies that do that."

David McTimoney, the superintendent for the Anglophone West School District, says the two new schools announced for the district are big and important projects. (Catherine Harrop/CBC News file photo)

For the foreseeable future, new schools will be built every year, said Hogan. He encouraged companies to bid on the schools to get them built as soon as possible.

Another challenge in the school-building program is that an announcement a new school is on the way can provoke people to buy property in the area. Some of the new school projects, Hogan said, will take into account accommodation for the current students as well as a potential increase in the student population.

The school projects, besides George Street Middle, announced this year are:

• An anglophone K-12 school in Dieppe

• A replacement for Salisbury Elementary School

• An infrastructure addition to Tabusintac Community School

• An addition and upgrade to École Saint-Henri in Moncton

• A replacement school for Forest Hill and Liverpool Street Elementary schools in Fredericton

Two of the replacements are in the Anglophone West School District, which consists of 69 schools.

David McTimoney, the superintendent for the district, said the two new schools announced for the district are big and important projects.

He said it is unknown yet where the schools will be built, and it will be a decision made between the province's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure and the Department of Education.

His hope though is that the schools will remain in the neighbourhood.

Hogan said discussing a site for the George Street Middle School replacement will be the first step in the process. He said the department will always look to see if there's existing space in the current location, although he doesn't think there's room at the George Street site.

McTimoney said the new schools popping up around the province are proving to be modern and "state of the art," with resources for students needing special care.

Kitchen said while there have certainly been upgrades to George Street Middle School over the years, the inside is dated and not modern at all.

So although it will be sad, Kitchen said, to see the structure replaced after holding a spot in the community for so many years, the project is past due.

"Albert Street School was the same way. It was an older school. It was in an old building that is now apartments. And it was sad when it went … But it was time when they did it," she said.

"And it's the same with George."