April 15, 2009
DSBN Supports Students, Local Economy with Infrastructure Investment
The District School Board of Niagara will be creating new learning opportunities for students and supporting the local economy with more than $55 million dollars worth of investment in Niagara’s schools.
The funding, approved by trustees at the April 14 Board meeting, will be spent over a four-year period, beginning in the current school year. “Capital improvements are an important way of supporting student success,” said Kevin Maves, DSBN Board Chair. “They allow our caring and committed staff to deliver a wide range of innovative programs in safe and stimulating learning environments.”
Maves credited fellow Trustee Dalton Clark, chair of the Board’s finance committee, for advancing many projects ahead of schedule, allowing students to realize the benefits of improved facilities sooner and “creating a concentrated and strategic injection of capital into Niagara’s economy at a time when it is badly needed.”
The plan includes funding for:
• A new elementary school in Niagara-on-the-Lake
• A major new addition to St. Davids Public School to accommodate Laura Secord Public School students
• Improvements to the St. Catharines Collegiate to accommodate Queen Mary Public School students as part of the “school within a school” project
• Safety and accessibility upgrades
• New roofs, windows, asphalt and other important school repairs
• Updates to lighting, electrical wiring, heating and cooling equipment, and ventilation systems in schools
“This is a significant investment by the Board. Especially exciting is the planned construction of a new school in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which will provide students with a state of the art facility and stimulate the local economy by creating jobs during these economically challenging times,” said Clark.
In developing the School Renewal Plan, needs were identified and prioritized from previous school condition surveys, facility improvement requests from schools, instructional space requirements from enrolment projections, education requirements and accessibility improvement requirements.
DSBN Director of Education Warren Hoshizaki said this latest investment reflects the Board’s ongoing commitment to student success. “Although schools are so much more than just bricks and mortar, it is important that we continually invest in our buildings to give students a safe and comfortable atmosphere in which to learn, grow and develop into the leaders of tomorrow.”
The District School Board of Niagara operates 98 elementary schools and 22 high schools in 12 municipalities throughout the Niagara region, serving the needs of nearly 40 thousand students each year.