Kentville council wants update on new school progress

By Kirk Starratt

THE ADVERTISER/NovaNewsNow.com



Kentville council was surprised to read comments made recently by Annapolis Valley Regional School Board (AVRSB) superintendent Norm Dray regarding a new school for their town.

Mayor Dave Corkum said at the Feb. 14 session Coun. Mark Pearl had brought to their attention a front-page article in the Feb. 8 edition of The Kings County Register, where Dray is cited as stating the school board has officially requested a new Primary through Grade 8 school for Kentville, and that the new school is tentatively scheduled for construction in 2010. Dray made the comments during a presentation to the home and school group in Cambridge Jan. 22.

“It's a bit of a surprise to us without being told,” Corkum said.

Corkum said he wrote last spring to Kings North MLA Mark Parent to request a meeting with the education minister regarding the possibility of a new school for Kentville. A strategy session took place with Parent, Corkum and the town's chief administrator Bill Boyd.

Parent called the education minister while in Corkum's office and things are looking good in terms of having a new school constructed in 2010. However, Corkum said they would like to have the minister tell them firsthand a new school is on the horizon.

“We've requested an audience with the minister to meet with us and go over where we stand right now,” Corkum said, pointing out he and council are thankful to Parent for his efforts. He said the town wants to hear the news from the education minister, because it's that department that would have to include money for the new school in its budget.

Coun. Dennis Kehoe pointed out that if they don't proceed with renovations originally planned for KCA - there is no sprinkler system in the current school -- the town would be put off until 2010 when the new school would be built.

Kehoe believes the school board sets the priorities when it comes to projects such as new school construction and council should have conferred with the town's representative on the school board, Jennie White. If a meeting with the minister does take place, Kehoe said, the school board chairwoman and superintendent should both be in the room as well.

“The board clearly has a role to play determining what school gets built first,” Kehoe said.

Corkum said he would have no problem with the school board chairwoman and superintendent sitting in on such a meeting. He simply wants to clear up the “he said, she said” and get to the bottom of the matter.