Minister announces approval for Leary�s Brook extension

Joan Burke, Minister of Education announced today that funding has been approved for an extension and other renovations to Leary�s Brook Junior High School in St. John�s. In excess of one million dollars has been pre-committed to begin addressing overcrowding issues at the school.

�I recognize this has been a long-standing issue of concern for parents and educators of the Leary�s Brook Junior High School community. I am happy to announce today that a tender will be called shortly to begin work that will alleviate some of the problems that have been identified,� said Minister Burke. �My department looks forward to working with the school to determine the best ways to address some of these challenges.�

Bob Ridgley, MHA for St. John�s North, was delighted by the announcement. �Over the past year, I have worked closely with the chair of the Leary�s Brook School Council as well as with the school principal on this issue. I applaud the parents, teachers and school council for their consistent, calm and reasoned approach over the past several years and look forward to seeing the project commence.�

Reverend Guy Matthews, chair of Leary�s Brook School Council, commended government for moving forward with the project. �We appreciate that government did not let our concerns fall indefinitely by the way-side, despite fiscal constraints over the past two years. We are extremely pleased that the department has now decided to move forward and build the extension, allowing the school to deliver quality programs to our students.�

The Department of Education and the Eastern District will work together to determine the scope of the project. In addition, the department will appoint an engineering consultant to work on the design of the extension.

�Officials from the department and the board will soon finalize details of the renovations. Once the renovations are complete, teachers and students will enjoy a marked improvement in their learning environment,� said Minister Burke.

Media contact: Jacquelyn Howard, Communications, (709) 729-0048, 689-2624

2005 11 24                    12:30 p.m.