Queen Charlotte Intermediate School getting almost $17M to deal with overcapacity

Queen Charlotte Intermediate School will get just under $17 million from the P.E.I. government over the next four years to deal with more students than its building can currently handle.

The funding will allow the Charlottetown school, which its principal says is currently over capacity by about 30 students, to grow by roughly 10,000 square feet.

But principalK.J. White told CBC News that Queen Charlotte will have to find a way to deal with its overcrowding in the meantime, withno timeline on when the work will start.

White said he wants to make sure the 650-studentschool has adequate learning spaces for all its programming.

"What we're looking to do is add some classroom space, some learning spaces, and also some breakout areas so our students can have the programming they need," White said.

He said staff members havedone an "unbelievable" job so far of moving students around to different spaces for school programs, though that's not ideal.

Tracy Beaulieu, acting director at the Public Schools Branch, said providing students with proper learning spaces will always be the priority.

"This school has had a capacity issue for a little while and they have been extraordinary at making things work for the best interest of students," Beaulieu said.

"Knowing that we're going to be able to provide them with additional space to expand on their creative and innovative ways to support student learning is pretty amazing."

The P.E.I. government said part of the money will go toward replacing windows, floors, and upgrading lighting at the school.

The province's capital budget also includes $159 millionfor expansions and replacements at other schools over the next fiveyears. This includes a building assessment for Westisle High School in Elmsdale, and continuing with the construction of a high school in Stratford.

"We'll see support for schoolstip to tip," Beaulieu said.

"We do have some other schools who are also experiencing needs in terms of additional spaces. However, there's other opportunities for us to bring up to date and kind of refresh some of those buildings with that money."

What is a capital budget anyway? CBC Explains

11 months ago

Duration 2:08

The P.E.I. government releases two big budgets in any given year: the operating budget and the capital budget. We walk you through the difference between the two, and some of the announcements in this year's capital budget.