Development of new elementary school in 2C community clears next hurdle

January 19, 2023 · 0 Comments

A new elementary school in Aurora’s 2C development took the next step forward to becoming a reality this week.

On Monday, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce visited the site of the school, near the intersection of Hartwell Way and William Graham Drive, to announce the Province has awarded the tender for the school, supported by an investment of $3 million in additional funding.

This brings the total budget for the school up to $23.8 million.

“The Government of Ontario is delivering more than $26.6 billion in education funding for the 2022-2023 school year, including an increase of over $600 million in September 2022, which is the highest investment in public education in Ontario’s history,” said the Province in a statement.

The investment, they said, dovetails with Ontario’s Plan to Catch Up, which “is squarely focused on the priorities of parents” through five key components: “kids being back in the classroom, on time with a full school experience that includes extracurriculars like sports, band and field trips; investing more than $175 million for enhanced tutoring support programs delivered by school boards and community partners, with a focus on reading, writing and math; updating the curriculum to prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow, including opportunities in the skilled trades; providing more money to build schools and improve education; and allocating $90 million – the highest amount in Ontario history, and a 420 per cent increase from 2017-2018 – to support mental health.”

“The funding for a new elementary school in Aurora is great news for our community,” said Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy in a statement. “This investment will ensure families and students have access to a quality learning environment in the years ahead.”

Added Minister Lecce: “Our government is investing $14 billion over 10 years to build new schools, improve existing facilities, and create childcare spaces to ensure young people can reach their full potential.

“By building the new state-of-the-art Aurora 2C elementary school, as well as investing in tutoring and mental health supports for the year ahead, we are getting students in Aurora back on track now and well into the future. While we make progress building this new elementary school in Aurora to support hard-working parents, we remain committed to keeping students in class in more normal classrooms with extracurriculars, sports and clubs.”

Once complete, the new school will offer 638 student spaces, 39 new childcare spaces, and two new childcare rooms.

“We are looking forward to opening the doors of this new school to students, staff and families, said YRDSB Interim Director Scott Yake. “This school will help to meet the needs of our growing community and provide a beautiful new space for students to grow and learn.”

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter