The Independent

School expansions in Wyoming and Grand Bend didn’t make the list of 45 school building projects announced by the province Monday.

Education Minister Jill Dunlop announced 45 building projects worth $1.4 billion just two days ahead of a provincial election call.

Each year, school boards across the province submit capital projects to the province. The Lambton-Kent District School Board was asking for three-room addition to Plympton-Wyoming Public School in Wyoming, where there are now 301 students in a school built for 257.

It also was asking for the second year in a row for a five-room addition to the Grand Bend Public School. The recent school accommodation report shows 269 students now attend the school built for 248. That’s expected to grow to 300 students in the next 10 years.

A government news release says the projects were chosen prioritizing ‘shovel ready’ projects, those that increased access to French-language education and to “address current and critical space needs in communities where alternative options are limited.

Meantime, the board is still waiting for the green light for construction of the $39 million JK to Grade 12 school in Forest.