St. John's school council sounding alarm over new school in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's
CBC
Parents on the Prince of Wales Collegiate school council in St. John's say they were blindsided last week when the provincial government announced the location of a new high school in the nearby town of Portugal Cove-St. Philip's.
The school council is calling on the provincial government to release the evidence it used to decide to build the new school, which will absorb half the population of Prince of Wales Collegiate when it opens in September 2026.
"We weren't consulted," said Sonya Rideout, a parent representative on the school council who lives in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's.
"If we want to have trust in the decisions that our government makes, people in this province need to feel like they're based in evidence and stakeholder consultation. And both of it is severely lacking."
The new school's location came under scrutiny after CBC News reported it would be built in the same community where Premier Andrew Furey lives.
The Prince of Wales council has written a letter to Furey, Education Minister Krista-Lynn Howell and David Brazil, the Progressive Conservative MHA who represents the area.
In that letter, they say the new school in Portugal Cove-St. Phillip's is not in the best interest of students because the current population of Prince of Wales Collegiate will be divided in half when the new school opens.
The council says the move will affect the number of teachers and programs of both schools. It also argues that Prince of Wales Collegiate is closer to amenities, like the new Canada Games facility at Memorial University, while the new school will be on a busy rural road with no sidewalks.
The council also argues many students living in Portugal Cove-St. Phillip's will still have to get a bus to the school.
Last week, the provincial government officially announced the school would be built on Old Broad Cove Road and Maggie's Place at a cost of $33 million.
However, the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District said in an April 2022 email to the Education Department that a new high school for Portugal Cove-St. Phillip's was not on the district's priority list.
Former school district CEO Tony Stack wrote the Education Department and warned the new school "will profoundly affect the [Prince of Wales Collegiate] feeder system."
"It feels empty, it feels one-sided, it feels like it's underhanded. I don't understand it," Rideout said.
The council also said the need for school repair or replacement is greater in other areas, such as Frank Roberts Junior High in Conception Bay South or Larkhall Academy.
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