Buckhorn Public School will soon be getting an upgrade thanks to provincial funding intended to create more student spaces.
On Monday June 15, MPP Dave Smith along with local dignitaries were at Buckhorn Public School to make the announcement of $6.4 million for a new addition which would create 98 new elementary student spaces and 49 new licensed child care spaces.
Currently, Buckhorn Public school has 176 students. They have three portable classrooms each of which houses about 20 students each for the school day.
Smith said during the announcement, “The school truly is the center of the community. This is where friendships are formed. You have relationships that go an entire lifetime. And it’s all formed at the elementary school itself…It’s the growth of this community, the number of young families that have moved in, the number of people who have decided that this is where they want to raise their family. We have seen a significant increase in student enrollment as a result of that. KPRDSB is one of the boards where enrollment is relatively stagnant, but what we’re seeing is in the rural areas, [there] is that growth again. This money is much needed for the school, but it’s a much needed investment actually in the entire community. And I’m very proud to be part of that type of investment.”
This funding is part of a $1.6 billion investment by the province for 79 school construction projects across Ontario. The goal of this funding is to support growing communities by creating over 29,000 new student spaces and over 1,900 licensed childcare spaces so students have the modern learning spaces they need to succeed.
According to a press release, this year’s funding will support a combination of new school builds, expansions and retrofits across the province and is part of Ontario’s commitment to provide more than $22 billion over 10 years to support new school construction, renewal and improvements.
