Work done by Sackville Schools 2020 as presented to Town Council on July 4, 2016
How it all began
- The Sackville Schools 2020 Working group came together last summer (2015) in response to a DEC request to the province to fund the
Tantramar & Marshview Midlife Upgrade and Combining Study
(deferred maintenance costs: $5,071,000)
We felt strongly that this was not a good solution for our students, teachers or community and got to work.
Rather than invest millions of dollars in aging school infrastructure…
Solution: Create a new, 21st century learning environment for Sackville’s students
Reasoning: Great for students and teachers plus helps attract and retain families and businesses interested in giving their kids the best education available, so the whole community benefits
We then spent many months and many hundreds of hours, aided by many generous people, trying to determine how to make this a reality!
We reached out to Advisors and Advocates to help set initial direction
Worked with True Growth’s Stuart Baker on how to organize movement
Collaboration Café in October w/45 people – 3 questions
Special 10-‐year NB Education Plan workshop with Karen Power
Met with teachers, students and administration at all schools
We continued to learn and to collaborate
Began working with award-‐winning C21 Group; national council focused on bringing 21st century education to Canadian (and other) students
Presented request to DEC that the outcome of school infrastructure review should be creating a 21st century learning environment in Sackville
This would require a new facility: combining TRHS & Marshview would not deliver this result
Requested that SS2020 be a part of the review process
Expanded working relationships to include sessions with Fielding Nair, international school architecture firm, and local landscape architect, Jim Scott
Worked with Fairwyn Developments to learn more about P3 school financing arrangements, toured P3 schools, met with administrators and teachers
Opportunity for a larger, multi-stakeholder project, anchored by a new school development, emerged (new schools, library, seniors services/residences, social services, athletic facilities, Mount A, NBCC)
Why is Now the Right Time to Move Ahead?
- Premier Gallant created the New Economy & Education Fund; $250 million allocated over the next three years, almost $1 billion over next decade
- Federal Infrastructure Investment programs are up and running; $60 billion over next decade
- Redirect $ millions from deferred maintenance costs
- Vastly reduced ongoing operational & maintenance expenses
- Exploit advantages and flexibility of multi-stakeholder P3 financing options
- Individually, schools, towns, governments, businesses can struggle to fund stand-alone projects; little opportunity for growth or synergies
- Creating an integrated, visionary partnership between town, province, private sector can achieve much more than any one individual entity:
- Attract multiple sources of funding
- Shared facility options
- Shared services, shared expertise
- Include revenue-generating opportunities
- Sackville is about to embark on its next Community Development Plan.
- SS2020 recommends making an integrated, multi-use 21st century educational facility the centerpiece of the new plan, including community access, shared services, meeting spaces, new library, seniors housing, etc.
- Create a community development corporation to execute upon this vision
Next steps
- Continue to work with the new DEC to make bringing a 21st century learning facility to Sackville a top agenda item
- Contribute our learning and goals, and the many experts who have generously given their time so far, to the Town of Sackville’s strategic planning process
- Work with Town, Province, local developers to create a Community Development Corporation
A great opportunity for creating an innovative education model exists here in Sackville!