The Upper Grand District School Board may be getting a new south-end Guelph high school after all.
Monday morning the province sent out a press release and an interactive map that included a list of Guelph capital projects to be undertaken in 2018 and a new high school for Guelph was not on that list.
But the province says that list likely wasn’t updated and that further capital projects will be announced soon.
“There will be more local announcements at the end of the month,” said Heather Irwin, senior media relations coordinator for the Ministry of Education.
She said those announcements will be made locally.
The provincial government announced its 2018 capital funding projects on Monday and a new south end school was not on it.
It is the fourth consecutive year that the Upper Grand District School Board has applied. They had been optimistic that this was the year the province would green light the project.
The school board did not immediately provide comment on the decision as they had not talked with provincial representatives.
It has already purchased the land for the school, on the northwest corner of the Victoria Road/Arkell Road intersection, and come up with preliminary design plans.
The board calls the need for a new south end high school its top priority, given that the only high school in the south end, Centennial CVI, is roughly 350 students over capacity and is currently using six portables.
Currently at 127 per cent of capacity, the UGDSB says that will increase to 137 per cent within five years.
The board says there are already 600 students within walking distance of the proposed new location, students who are currently bussed to Centennial or John F. Ross high schools.
School board officials appeared before Guelph City Council last fall to discuss their plans, telling council that it would take up to three years to get the school built even after the province okays it.
Monday the province announced 39 new schools and 40 major renovations and additions, totalling $784 million.
