The new vocational school in Ste. Anne tops the list of priorities when it comes to capital projects in the Seine River School Division. 

Superintendent Dr. Ryan Anderson says they are eager to plan the details. 

“We’re in the process of looking at what kind of programming we want to have in the school,” he says. “And we're working in partnership with the department to have interactions and tours with other schools that have vocational programs in the province.” 

Anderson says they are finalizing the land purchase and programming needs, and then they will work on finalizing the school design. 

This past spring, the province promised a new Grade 9 to 12 vocational school for the community, and it will include a daycare center. The new school is expected to be completed by 2027. 

Anderson points out there is a lot of growth happening in the Southeast and the school division is closely monitoring residential development throughout the area. 

“We’re working more closely with the RM’s on development and we're tracking potential enrollment trends and actual enrollment and fluctuations so that we can prioritize other schools and communities as needed with the ongoing development that's anticipated within the division.” 

Anderson notes modular classrooms will be added to schools that require more space for student growth. 

“We’re just really pleased with the situation,” he says. “We love that our communities are growing. And we look forward to being as proactive as we can in working in partnership with the department to ensure that our facilities match the needs that our students have, and our communities have, as they continue to grow.” 

While the province requires school divisions to submit 5-year capital plans, Anderson says Seine River believes they need to look ahead further than that. 

“We're starting to look at a longer-term view and trying to get a sense of what it might mean over a 10-year period of time versus a five, so that we can be more proactive in our planning around capital projects long term for the division.”

As for other items on their capital projects list, Anderson says there is nothing "flashy" but there are items to support maintenance of buildings throughout the division.