New London school to be built
The Ontario government has given the go-ahead to construction of a new school in London.
The province announced on January 11 that has given the Thames Valley District School Board approval to award the tender for a new Southeast London Public School.
The $16.6-million investment will provide a new, quality learning environment for the students of London, as well as new child-care rooms. The project is part of the province’s capital investment program to support students with better learning spaces.
The new funding is higher than the $14 million budgeted for construction when the project was announced in 2018.
“From modernizing our curriculum to revitalizing our classrooms and their facilities, we are investing in our students and giving them every tool to achieve their full potential,” said Education Minister Stephen Lecce. “Construction of the new Southeast London Public School further demonstrates our government’s historic investment in Ontario’s schools and our overall commitment to supporting our students and families.”
Highlights of the new school construction include 556 elementary student spaces, 88 new child-care spaces and five new child-care rooms.
The new school will be located at 2541 Meadowgate Boulevard.
The project is the second the province has approved for construction by the Thames Valley board. In October, it gave the green light to a $19.5-million elementary school in the city’s northwest. The school board has said that region is a priority for further development due to growth and overcrowding. This school is expected to have room for more than 800 sudents.
The Ontario Government is working with school board partners to invest in capital projects that advance safe and accessible learning opportunities for students. It has committed up to $1 billion to create up to 30,000 new child care spaces in schools over five years.
It also announced in its 2019 budget that will spend more than $12 billion over the next 10 years in the form of capital grants—including $550 million in 2020-21—for new schools, additions and major renovations.