Western School Division board and senior administration met with the Department of Central Government Services in May to advocate on behalf of the division's capital needs, according to WSD Superintendent Stephen Ross
Ask #1: Addition at École Discovery Trails
"As again, one of the fastest growing school divisions in Manitoba, we continue to have big capital needs. One of those big things is the immediate addition of eight classrooms at École Discovery Trails, which is really important. It's built for 600, but there will be 600 students their next fall already and growing, so that additional space needs to be there for sure."
Ask #2: A new high school
"We also had a good conversation about the growing needs at Morden Collegiate and the need for a new high school, whether that is a new, say, 1200 student high school or whether that is a second high school. So, we had a good conversation about the pros and cons of both of those options going ahead, as well as the shorter-term needs for portables and extra space that go along with that."
Ask #3: Addition to Minnewasta School and a daycare
"We also made a proposal, again for longer-term project, for an addition at Minnewasta School so that it gets built up to be the same permanent size as Maple Leaf. So that it can handle more students as the community continues to grow as well. And we made a case for a stand-alone daycare in the South corner of the city down by Minnewasta, as well, because there is no daycare down in that part of the city at all."
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Why these advocacy conversations are important face-to-face
"It's important for them to understand what our needs are, what that looks like here," Ross explained.
"Having conversations with the current Deputy Minister of Education, I think they understand that if Winnipeg School Division gains 800 students, that sounds like a lot of students, and it is, but they have 30,000 students to begin with. And so when a small school division like ours gains 150 or 160 students, on a per capita basis, our percentage is much higher. And so, it has a bigger impact in different ways. We can't distribute those kids over as many schools as Winnipeg School Division can."
This is a relationship built on honesty and trust
"We always ask for what we need, and because they trust that they know that we only ask when we need it, we usually get the things that we need on time. And so, certainly we're hoping that this high school can come faster because there's a big need as the community grows. It's all going to come down, at the end of the day, to the Treasury Department. At the end of the day, the Treasury Board in Manitoba will decide what gets built when, because that's where the money comes from."
These needs benefit WSD and the community
"I think anything that benefits the school division benefits the growth of the community overall. So, whether that's new businesses starting up, more families moving in from across the country, or from overseas, you have to have schools, and you have to have seats. And when communities don't have things like school seats and hospital beds, then communities can't grow and thrive, so there's opportunity here, I think, for everybody."