The Lambton Kent District School Board has been given extra funding for the expansion at Errol Village Public School. The renovations were originally supposed to start in the spring of 2023.
The Ontario Ministry of Education has granted the school board $6,144,624 toward the project, up from the $3.8 million they received in 2022.
“We were granted the addition and the addition of the childcare and when we moved to the next stages of planning and architectural design,” John Howitt, director of education, tells the Journal. “The pricing was coming out greater than the original amount allocated so we went back to the ministry and requested additional funding for the project.”
The approximately 190-student school will add two classrooms, with accommodations for 46 students, and a new daycare space with 49 licensed daycare spaces for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
“We are determined to build schools and expansions faster, part of our commitment to
modernize schools in fast-growing communities,” minister of education Stephen Lecce said in a release. “We are proud to deliver a new, state-of-the-art expansion at Errol Village Public School for Camlachie families.”
With groundbreaking set for July 2, the school board hopes the new addition will be ready to open next March.
“This is one of our growing communities within the Sarnia-Lambton area, and the population has increased beyond the current capacity of the school. As more families are moving into the area there’s been an increased need for childcare,” explains Howitt.