Mayor to emphasize urgent need for province to approve new elementary schools

Thames Valley District School Board in London, Ont. as seen on March 26, 2024. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)

City councillors are backing the public school board’s bid for new elementary schools in two fast-growing neighbourhoods in London.

“As far as I understand, there are decisions going to be made quite soon around new schools and hopefully some funding,” Coun. Corrine Rahman told colleagues on the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee.

On Tuesday, the committee unanimously backed a motion by Rahman and Coun. Hopkins, asking the mayor to have further communications with the province about the urgent need to approve new schools in west and southwest London.

In total, the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) is seeking eight shovel-ready projects in its request to the province — four in London, four outside London.

However, the two proposed schools in west and southwest London face deadlines of September 2024 and March 2025, to exercise options on the properties, or risk the sites being repurposed into housing.

No alternative sites exist within the neighbourhoods.

The mayor already sent a letter supporting TVDSB’s initial application for capital funding last fall.

Given the looming deadlines, Morgan said he will personally reach out to the Ministry of Education.

“I’ll probably end up trying to get a phone call [scheduled] to communicate directly with them,” he said.

The school board has the power to expropriate land for new schools, but the process could result in students being crowded into existing schools longer than necessary.