School board delays decision on Eastern Passage school
Posted Apr 29, 2010 06:24:27 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A new high school in Eastern Passage will remain a question mark for a bit longer.
The Halifax Regional School Board was supposed to vote Wednesday night on a staff report that recommended shelving the project, but board member Gin Yee got a motion approved to postpone the decision in order to discuss the issue further with the province.
“We should use this opportunity not just to talk about Eastern Passage education opportunities, but we should talk about Cole Harbour’s, North Preston’s, or any other area in the HRM’s educational opportunities,” he said.
Board member David Finlayson, who voted against the motion to postpone, cautioned his colleagues that there just isn’t enough money for a new school right now.
“We’ve been asked by the (Department of Education) to deal with excess capacity within our schools,” he said. “We do not have enough money for capital improvements within our current schools and our deferred maintenance budget is not enough to stop our facilities from crumbling in front of us.”
Area resident and former MLA Kevin Deveaux said the delay offers local parents a glimmer of hope and said he’s confident further discussions will persuade the authorities that a new school is needed in Eastern Passage.
