April 25, 2008
For Immediate Release

The Durham District School Board (DDSB) is pleased to announce that today it received the Ministry of Education grants approval to build five new elementary schools.

Chair of the Board, Marilyn Crawford said, “On behalf of the students, staff and school communities of the Durham District School Board, I offer our thanks to the Ministry of Education for the approval to build five new schools in our District. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to build new elementary schools to meet the changing needs of our community.”

The approval comes in response to the Board’s business cases submitted to the Ministry in the fall of 2007 relating to the 2008-2009 school year. The business cases set out the Board’s plans to build new elementary schools in the DDSB’s growth areas. The new elementary schools include; The Unnamed Tormina Woodlands PS in Brooklin; the Unnamed Olde Winchester PS in Brooklin; the Unnamed Meadows of Ajax PS in Ajax and the Unnamed Hamlet PS in Ajax. The tentative opening date for the four schools is planned for September 2009. The Board report of October 15, 2007, outlining details regarding business cases for the new schools, can be found below.

As part of the accommodation planning process, the DDSB also submitted a business case that qualified for the 2009-2010 school year. The Board is pleased to have received advanced approval to build a fifth school for the 2009-2010 school year. This elementary school will be located in the Lynde Shores area in south Whitby and with a planned opening date of September 2010.

The Durham District School Board is responsible for public education in the rural settings of Uxbridge, Brock and Scugog Townships and the urban settings of Ajax, Whitby, Pickering and Oshawa. The Board employs more than 7,000 teaching and educational services staff. With 132 elementary and secondary schools and learning centres, the Board accommodates more than 70,000 regular day students and thousands more who take advantage of a wide variety of continuing education and adult credit courses. More information about the DDSB can be found on the Board's Website at www.durham.edu.on.ca.

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Media Contacts:
Andrea Pidwerbecki, Communications Manager,
Durham District School Board
905-666-6313 or pidwerbecki_andrea@durham.edu.on.ca

Background:
Durham District School Board Report, October 15, 2007
Summary of Four Growth School Business Cases Submitted to the Ministry of Education for the 2008/2009 School Year