Hanover School Division has placed a new 650-seat elementary school on its five-year capital plan request from the provincial government.
The division is currently in the process of building a five-classroom expansion to the Niverville Elementary School to meet space requirements for the coming year—but those extra classrooms won’t be enough in the long-term.
“As we continue to see the growth in Niverville, we’re aware that Niverville Elementary School, even with the addition that’s being built right now, it’s not going to be too long before it just doesn’t suffice,” says Superintendent Randy Dueck. “And the challenge that we have there is that there’s no room for more additions. It’s a tiny little lot.”
Dueck says that Niverville was, as of the last census, not only one of the fastest communities in Manitoba, but in the country. A 650-seat K–4 school will be needed to meet current demand.
“That’s our need,” Dueck says. “How the province then chooses to respond to this request, and when they choose to respond to the request, will be interesting.”
Every year on April 15, the division submits a five-year capital plan to the province’s Public Schools Finance Board, which is charged with reviewing requests for new capital expenditures, such as schools. Once the Public Schools Finance Board decides which requests to approve, those requests move to the Provincial Treasury Board.
“Those are the folks with the dollars,” Dueck says. “The treasury board then makes decisions based on a wide range of things, because they’re not just getting requests from Hanover School Division. They’re getting requests all across the province.”
The new elementary school isn’t the only Niverville school on Hanover’s list of priorities. Hanover is also requesting a 400-seat 9–12 school. According to Dueck, the division has been making this request for a number of years already.
“In a perfect world, we will have a brand new 9–12 high school in Niverville, [and] the current NCI could be converted to a middle school and could accommodate the middle years students of that area. And we would build a brand new 650 seat K–4 school.” Dueck then pauses and adds, “Again, in a perfect world.”
