Manitoba government announces new school coming to Transcona area

The province is upping educational spending and building a new school in Transcona.

A new kindergarten to Grade 8 school is coming to the Transcona area, the Manitoba government announced Monday.

The province plans to open a new school in the Devonshire Park area, which the government said will help address an 11 per cent increase in student-aged kids in the River East Transcona School Division.

“Our government is focusing on building schools as we’re seeing rapid increases in enrolment in growing communities across the province,” said Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Tracy Schmidt in a news release.

“Investing in our kids by giving them new schools with the best educators will set them up for success in the future,” said Premier Wab Kinew.

The school will be located at Devonshire Drive West. Along with K-8 students, there will also be space for 74 infants and young children to receive childcare.

The province said design work for the school is set to start soon, and construction is slated to begin in 2026. The goal is to have the school opened in September 2027.

“After a decade of advocacy from the board of trustees and with unprecedented growth within our community, the announcement of a new school in the Devonshire area marks an exciting milestone for River East Transcona School Division,” said Colleen Carswell, the board chair for the division.

“We look forward to partnering with the province to meet the needs of our students and families. Together, we are building more than a structure; we are creating a space where future generations of students will learn, grow and prepare to become skilled, inspired, and responsible citizens.”

Along with the announcement, the province said it is increasing operating funding for schools by 3.4 per cent for the next school year.

“This year’s funding increase goes beyond the rate of inflation and is consistent with last year’s funding increase, giving school divisions confidence in stable funding to help them best allocate their budgets,” said Schmidt.

The Manitoba government is also adding $30 million to the school nutrition program. The federal government already provides $6.7 million for the program.