The Greater Essex County District School Board Wednesday cleared up confusion about a provincial funding announcement made earlier this week.
While MPP Teresa Piruzza announced the public board will be getting $14 million for renovations, the board has learned that only $11.5 million is new money from the province.
The other $2.5 million – for renovations at Century Secondary School as it is transformed into Westview Freedom Academy – will come from the board’s capital reserves.
The province granted the board’s funding request for $11.5 million to build a 400-student addition to the high school wing at Tecumseh Vista Academy. The permanent addition will replace portable classrooms at the three-year-old school.
The project should be tendered in 2014, with construction to begin in spring 2015, said board spokesman Scott Scantlebury. The new wing is not expected to open until September 2016.
As part of the announcement, the Ministry of Education approved the board dipping into reserves for Westview.
Westview, to open in September, will replace Forster Secondary School.
The province also approved the board’s plan to build a $3.5-million addition at Belle River Public School.
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