Saskatoon Public Schools is to sharing exciting news about a new facility to serve the school communities of King George, Pleasant Hill, and Princess Alexandra.
In mid-March, the provincial government committed to fund a new centrally located school to serve the three school communities. For planning purposes, the project is being called the City Centre project. The new school will be built for approximately 500 students on the current site of Princess Alexandra. Saskatoon Public Schools hopes to partner with the Saskatoon Tribal Council and City of Saskatoon to make City Centre a joint-use facility to serve the community.
"We know the relationships built and histories shared between families and staff at these three schools are treasured. Change can be daunting but this project is being pursued to provide the best for students," said Colleen MacPherson, Saskatoon Public Schools' board chair.
"While our school division has placed great value on maintaining the more than century-old King George and Pleasant Hill schools and the nearly 60-year-old Princess Alexandra, the maintenance required for these aging facilities totals $68 million. This amount is impossible for our school division to cover and results in less-than-ideal learning environments for students. Instead, the new school will cost approximately $25 million and will provide the state-of-the-art facility that students deserve."
Busing will be provided for students coming from King George and Pleasant Hill. For Princess Alexandra students who are currently bused to school, busing will continue. The new school is expected to open in three to five years. The school division will look to school families for feedback when developing the new school.
"The announcement of the provincial government's funding commitment came the same week that our schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic," MacPherson said. "With continued restrictions on gatherings, we haven't been able to share information about this project and begin a dialogue with families in the way we had hoped. We are working to find the best way to hear from school families as we start planning this new school."
It is expected that several options for the redevelopment of King George and Pleasant Hill schools, and their respective sites, will be considered, in consultation with the local community and other relevant stakeholders. Such work will be integral to the successful outcome for the entire project.
