Future of Moncton's Hillcrest School under study, says superintendent

The Anglophone East district education council has voted to study Hillcrest School in Moncton to decide whether it should carry on or be combined with Bessborough in a new school.

The council will hold three public meetings to discuss the options. The first meeting will be Wednesday, Sept. 27, at Hillcrest School at 7 p.m.

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"Hillcrest is similar to any school of its age," said Gregg Ingersoll, superintendent of the Anglophone East district. "It's like an older house. The older it gets, the more things have to get done to it."

The school for kindergarten to Grade 8 students is deteriorating, and it's hard to keep up with the upgrades, he said.

In May 2017, a decision was made for Bessborough School to be replaced with a new building, and as a result, Hillcrest wants to determine whether it should be included in the request.

A midlife assessment of Bessborough School, about 1.2 kilometres from Hillcrest, indicated an upgrade there would cost about 70 per cent of what a new building would cost.

"Their rationale with that is they have a criteria that's in place that if it's going to cost above 70 per cent of the replacement cost that they should basically build a new school because the difference is insignificant," Norval McConnell, district council representative for both Bessborough and Hillcrest, said in a previous interview with CBC News. 

Public meetings

The study of Hillcrest will be based on the Department of Education's Policy 409, dealing with infrastructure planning. 

The study will examine enrolment, transportation, economic development, health and safety, impact on the community, and finances, among other aspects of the issue.

Ingersoll said a midlife upgrade, which would bring the school up to today's standards, has not been requested, but it is an option.

"Certainly, a midlife upgrade, asking for a new school to replace Hillcrest are [options]. Are those the best options going forward in the future is something we have to consider."

The first public meeting will present the facts, the second meeting is gather comments from parents and stakeholders, and the third will discuss the study and end with a vote on a recommendation.

The district education council will present the recommendation to the minister of education, who will have 30 days to make a decision.  

The second public meeting is on Wednesday, Nov. 1, at Hillcrest and the third is on Tuesay, Nov. 21, at Bernice MacNaughton High School.

"If we have an opportunity for your students to be a part of brand new school … it really is a wonderful opportunity to have a new school in your community," Ingersoll said.