With the population rising in Niverville, talk continues to swirl around the need for a new school. Randy Dueck, Superintendent of the Hanover School Division, says that the division’s top priority right now is a new Grades 9–12 school for the community. Last April, the division requested a new 400-seat high school.
In an ideal world, the construction of a high school would allow the current NCI to be converted into a middle school. Since last summer, an addition has already increased the capacity of the elementary school.
Dueck says that the division has been actively lobbying the province to green-light the new high school.
“HSD has followed standard protocol as set forth by the PSFB [Public Schools Finance Board] for requesting new facilities,” says Dueck. “The requests were made as part of the five-year Capital Projects Plan that is reviewed and submitted by HSD each year. That being said, our need for a new Grades 9–12 school in Niverville has been communicated in person to the Minister of Education. HSD has also met with both the Deputy Minister of Education and Chair of the Public Schools Finance Board.”
Last summer, HSD hired a consultant to investigate the demand for French immersion options in the division. Although Dueck says he has had preliminary conversations with the PSFB about French immersion, it’s not a priority at the moment.
“Any request by HSD for French immersion programming would also require significant accommodating space within our schools,” Dueck says. “Given the obvious and pressing need for more space in our schools, the Board of Trustees has chosen to put on hold any further assessment of, or request for, French immersion programming. The issue will be reviewed again by the board at a later date.”
