Local school boards have some major summer projects to complete before students return in the fall.
Lakehead Public Schools and the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board are spending more than $11 million combined to get ready for full day kindergarten, which the public board will have in all elementary schools this year.
Four new classrooms, totalling $2.4 million, at St. Bernard will be complete by September while a $3.6 million upgrade at St. Martin will see the same number of classrooms plus a new gymnasium ready to go next year for the separate board.
Business and corporate services superintendent Tom Mustapic said the student population at the two schools just keeps growing.
“This is a good opportunity for us to establish actual purpose-built kindergarten classrooms with the growth of the schools we really weren’t able to keep up with the need,” he said.
On the public side, Ecole Gron Morgan and Edgewater Public Schools are having classrooms renovated to meet the full-day kindergarten needs as well.
Those upgrades are two of 52 capital projects totaling $5.5 million for the board this summer. Public schools will also see an upgrade in technology from more smart boards to increased bandwidth.
Heating and insulation projects are also underway to make the schools more environmentally friendly.
“We are completing a number of projects to reduce our carbon footprint,” Lakehead Public Schools maintenance manager Randy Haber said.
Haber said those projects will be complete by mid-August in order to get furniture and equipment back in the classrooms.
“And of course the teachers need to get into setup so they’re ready for school,” he said.
