'A total shock': Why a longtime King George resident calls announced school closure 'unthinkable'

Preserving history Carla Shynkaruk explains how a group of local residents are hoping to preserve the history of a school built in 1912.

SASKATOON — One resident living in the King George area is still trying to process the recent announcement that the community school will be closing.

Those living in the neighbourhood are trying to prepare for what the future holds for the historic building. It’s one of Saskatoon’s oldest "castle" schools, built in 1912.

In March Saskatoon Public Schools said King George along with Pleasant Hill and Princess Alexandra schools would be closing to make way for a new school that will serve all three communities in the next three to five years.

John Dubets has lived in the neighbourhood his entire life, he went to King George School, went away to university then came back and built a house on Weldon Avenue with his wife.

All his children attended the school as well and he has been active in the community association including building the playground. Even now, he reads to the students at the building.

Dubets says, the announcement to close the school came out nowhere in March and hit him hard.

“I just heard the unthinkable. It was a total shock because the school has been the heart of our community for decades.”

He says, what’s missing from the discussion to close the school is the impact a school like King George has on the community. He says, this area has no amenities and the school plays a big role in the lives of those living here.

“The money going to build a new school is money well wasted and would be better spent to preserve the communities and enrich them because ultimately that’s where the people live and that’s where they form their dreams and values,” Dubets told CTV News.

In mid-March, the provincial government committed to fund a new centrally located school.

For planning purposes, the project is being called the City Centre project.

The new school will be built for approximately 500 students on the current site of Princess Alexandra Community School.

Saskatoon Public Schools hopes to partner with the Saskatoon Tribal Council and City of Saskatoon to make the new schoola joint-use facility to serve the community.

The estimated cost of the maintenance required for the three aging schools totals $68 million Colleen MacPherson, Saskatoon Public Schools' board chair, told CTV News.

The new school will cost approximately $25 million and will provide a state-of-the-art facility that will meet the needs of students, she said.

The Saskatoon Public School board plans on starting a consultation process with the communities to come up with the best plan for the buildings.