The Thames Valley District School Board has voted to submit five construction projects to the Ministry of Education for funding.
Trustees made the decision during a Special Board meeting on September 10. All five projects - four new schools and one school addition - will be submitted to the province's Capital Priorities Program. The submission deadline is September 16.
"We're proud to submit all five of these projects. Our communities are in need of these student accommodations." said Board Chairperson Beth Mai. "We trust the Ministry understands the pressures we're experiencing, particularly from increasing enrolment, and we eagerly await their decision."
As part of their decision, trustees ranked the submitted projects:
- Southwest London: New elementary school with child care centre. Note: This is a second new school for this area. Construction on a $28.8 million, 804-student school with child care centre at Pack Road and Regiment Road is currently underway.
- Thamesford: New elementary school with child care centre. This new Thamesford school will be submitted as a co-build project with the Township of Zorra.
- Ingersoll: New elementary school with child care centre.
- Thorndale: Addition to West Nissouri PS.
- North Central London: New elementary school with child care centre.
All five proposals were previously submitted to the Ministry of Education in October 2023 as part of last year's call for capital priority projects. Of the eight projects submitted in 2023, three new schools were approved (new elementary schools for Lucan, West London, and Southeast London).
The projects were selected based on the Ministry's requirements to only submit the most critical and urgent student accommodation needs for funding.
The Capital Priorities Program is the only funding stream available to support Ontario school boards' permanent student accommodation needs.
Capital Priorities Program funding announcements are expected to occur in Spring 2025.
