Cynthia King

Officials display drawings of the new Glen Stewart Elementary School. Work on the school has started. From left: Gerard Greenan, minister of Education and Early Childhood Development; Pat Campbell, Glen Stewart principal; Bob Clow, Eastern School District Board chair; and area MLA Cynthia Dunsford. Submitted photo

TERESA WRIGHT
The Guardian

Bulldozers and construction crews are busy hauling mounds of red Island dirt from the field next to Glen Stewart now that construction of a new elementary school for Stratford is underway.
Cabinet approved the new school in June as part of the recommendations in the Eastern School District’s controversial School Organization Plan.
That report proposed closure of 11 of the district’s 43 schools, eight of which were approved for closure by government in June.
Unlike most schools in the province, Glen Stewart’s student population has been climbing steadily. As a result, the school has been bursting at the seams for years.
The school’s capacity is 600, but there are currently 647 students attending the school, not counting teachers and other staff.
The new 54,000-square-foot facility being built will relieve this overpopulation by taking all the students and staff in Grades 4-6 and housing them in their own separate school.
After enduring years of overcrowding, this new school is happily embraced by parents and teachers at Glen Stewart.
“Before this, I was hearing quite a bit of concern from parents and different groups that had formed to try and make the government more aware of the problems at Glen Stewart,” said Stratford MLA Cynthia Dunsford.
“People have been very excited in anticipation of the start of construction and now people are happy it’s finally underway.”
Glen Stewart principal Pat Campbell said one of the biggest challenges her staff has faced in the last several years has been in trying to find enough teaching space in the overpopulated school.
“We have 34 homerooms this year, so that space has been exhausted,” she said.
“This decision to build a new school is an exciting one for the town of Stratford, a growing community, and one that we need to be proactive in looking ahead about so that we have educational facilities that meet the needs of the community.”
The new school will have capacity for 420 students. It will be a standalone school, complete with a gymnasium and its own resource and staff rooms. It’s being built using the design of the West Royalty Elementary School, costing government an estimated $8.7 million.
That cost was not contained in the province’s five-year capital budget, but Education Minister Gerard Greenan said the money has nonetheless been found.
“Because of our government’s decision to move kindergarten into the public school system, we had to make special allowances for some new construction.”
The money is not, however, coming out of the Education and Early Childhood Development’s budget, he added.
“Requests for that money went through the provincial treasury and treasury approved it,” Greenan said. “It’s special (warrant) — it does not exist in our current budget.”
Watching the construction crews hard at work on the future site of the new school, Campbell couldn’t contain her excitement. Crews only began working on the project last week, and already the basic layout of where the school will stand is taking shape on the grounds.
“It’s unbelievable — just last week we looked out on the field and now it’s starting to happen,” she said.
“This is something that we’ve dreamed about.”
Construction is set to be complete for the 2010 school year.