Hundreds of Catholic elementary students in Innisfil will have a new home school in September.
Construction is well underway on a two-storey, yet-to-be-named facility southeast of the Killarney Beach Road and 20th Sideroad intersection in Lefroy. The project, tendered at $19.5 million, is set to accommodate 493 students and a three-room child-care centre.
“At this time the contractor (says) the construction is on track for the September opening,” Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board communications manager Pauline Stevenson said. “The board will monitor the schedule over the next coming months.”
But, as the school gets closer to opening, there is a need to determine which students from the surrounding Holy Cross and St. Francis of Assisi Catholic school communities will be moved. So, a board staff-led boundary review officially kicked off Jan. 15, in order to set walking zones and balance enrolment and capacity for the area.
“It is important for you to know that decisions about boundary changes have yet to be made,” student achievement superintendent Christine Monteiro-Almeida said in a Jan. 18 letter to affected families and staff. “There will be an opportunity … to provide input into the boundary review process and recommendations. The next month will be spent consulting and gathering information. We also want to assure families and staff that resources and support will be provided to help with a smooth transition.”
Once the new boundary is in place and a principal is assigned, a superintendent will convene a school naming committee, Stevenson said.
This 5.5-acre property is being developed almost directly across the 20th from Killarney Beach Public School. It has been deemed a priority due to population increases in the area.
“The pace of growth in Innisfil has been steady and ongoing,” Stevenson said. “With both existing (board) schools in Innisfil operating over capacity, the provision of a new school in Innisfil assists our board in serving the community with the necessary infrastructure for the area enrolment. The need for a new elementary site was identified through the Lefroy Secondary Plan process over a decade ago as residential development was proposed for the area.”
She said the location was determined through an Ontario Municipal Board hearing and extensive consultation between board staff and the developer.
If implemented as planned, the boundary review will see 366 students move to the new school in September, with 504 staying at Holy Cross and 458 remaining at St. Francis — those established schools currently have capacity limits of 501 and 401, respectively.
By 2028, the population of the new school is estimated to hit 468, with Holy Cross and St. Francis each still exceeding capacity at 504 and 454, respectively.
A projection for 2032 says student population numbers will be over capacity at the new school (597), Holy Cross (517) and St. Francis (455).
The new school will require five portables to handle its student overflow by then; Holy Cross needs one and St. Francis will have two at that time.
Comparatively, the board says Holy Cross won’t need any in September 2024, while St. Francis is expected to have two in use.
“Holy Cross is currently operating with a total of 746 students and 149 (per cent) school building utilization,” a recent board report states. “St. Francis of Assisi is currently operating with a total of 581 students and 145 (per cent) school building utilization. Holy Cross and St. Francis of Assisi are both experiencing immediate enrolment pressures.”
A public meeting on the proposed new boundaries has been tentatively scheduled for Feb. 12, while a final report should come before the board’s Education Leadership Council for discussion Feb. 26.
More details on the plans for the new school can be found at smcdsb.on.ca.
