TORONTO — Ontario’s fiscal watchdog says it would cost $31.4 billion over 10 years to clear a backlog of school repair needs, build enough new spaces to address growth and maintain all schools in a state of good repair.
However, the Financial Accountability Office says the provincial government’s 10-year capital plan allocates $18.7 billion for school buildings, resulting in a shortfall of $12.7 billion.
Education Minister Jill Dunlop says in a statement that the province has doubled the funding to build and expand schools and cut construction timelines in half, with 240 new schools under construction.
The FAO’s report today on the condition of Ontario school buildings also says that most schools are under full capacity, with hundreds of schools operating with fewer than 60 per cent of the maximum number of students.
Boards have been urging the government to lift a school closure moratorium put in place in 2017, saying that seven years later it is putting a strain on their budgets and resources.
The FAO also says about 1,400 schools were over capacity, and that looking at projected enrolment growth, the equivalent of 227 new schools will need to be built over the next 10 years.
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