Sherwood Elementary principal ecstatic about new school

There were cheers and applause at Sherwood Elementary on Friday after government announced the Charlottetown neighbourhood would be receiving a new, $19 million school.

PrincipalJeanBoudreau said the more than60-year-old school isbadly due for anupdate and government's news that the capital budgetwould earmark enough cash for a brand new school was welcome news in hisoffice.

• New Charlottetown school part of 2018-19 capital budget
• 'It's falling down around us': Sherwood parents pushing for new school

"There was a group of us who were standing around inside our office, and what we started doing was clapping and cheering, because we've been working on this for quite some time," he said.

When you look at the building, it does need to be replaced.Jean Boudreau

Parents have pushed for a new school in the neighbourhood in the past and Boudreau agrees with their concerns. He saidthe schoolneeds more space to accommodate the roughly 500 students in the zoneand that staff have even had toredesign some classrooms to try and make things work.

"The school was well built, it's lasted this long, but it was not designed really to deliver education the way we're expected to deliver it today," he said.

"When you look at the building, it does need to be replaced."

Overcrowding still an issue: Stratford Mayor

While Sherwood staff and parents are happy with the announcement, across the bridge in Stratford Mayor David Dunphysaid the town's two schools are only getting 14 new classrooms between them to address overcrowding.

• Overcrowding could get worse at Stratford schools, mayor warns

"By the time these classrooms are built, based on our calculations, we'll be looking at probably an at-capacity school or an over capacity school," he said.

"I don't exactly know all the details of what the solution is. If it's just 14 classrooms, it's probably not the answer."

The five-year plan also includes:

• $11.7 million for more than 100 new school buses
• $10.4 million for classroom technology
• $10 million for capital repairs to schools such as roofs, windows, floors and paving
• $1.25 million for trades training equipment
• $750,000 for museums
• $237,500 to move the Morell EYC into the consolidated school

Construction is expected to begin in 2018 in Stratford andin 2019 for the new Sherwood school. The province hasn't revealed where the new school is expected to be built.

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