Candidate's Facebook post about Moncton school incenses parents

Parents at HillcrestSchoolare upset over how they found out the province is considering one site for a new west end school in Moncton.

Earlier this year, Premier Brian Gallant announcedMonctonwill get a new kindergarten to Grade 8 school to replace bothHillcrestandBessboroughschools.

On Friday, Cathy Rogers, the Liberalrunning for re-election inMoncton South, took to Facebook to say "initial planning has begun to build a new school on the current Bessborough property."

• Moncton secures new K-8 school for west end
• Build new Moncton school on same site as old one, Bessborough parents ask
• Bessborough School in Moncton needs to be replaced, says report

Moira Murphy, theProgressive Conservative candidate in MonctonSouth, has campaigned on renovating and expanding Bessborough School. Murphyquestioned the timing of Rogers's statement in a video Murphy posted to her Facebook page.

Andy Scott, whose children attendHillcrestand who ispresident of theHillcrestHome and School Association, said he felt ambushed by the Rogers post.

"Right or wrong, we were expecting to hear this announcement as part of a group," Scott told Information MorningMoncton.

"Another town hall or something, where the [district educationcouncil]and the government would come together and tell us what's going on."

Replacing decades-old schools

The new building would replaceHillcrestSchoolandBessboroughSchool, both built in the1950s.

In February, the province said it had set aside $1.5 million to planthe new school.But there had been nodefinitivewordon where in the city's west endit would be constructed.

A planning study looking at potential sites was expected to be completed by next March.

Province won't comment

CBCtried to verify Rogers's statement with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.

JeremyTrevors, a spokesperson for the department,said "the provincial government typically does not comment on media stories regarding campaign-related announcements."

Harry Doyle, chair of the District Education Council and GreggIngersoll, superintendent of the Anglophone East School District, both said they had not received any information from the province about the planned location.

'Feels like an ambush'

Scott said it was heavily implied there were other locations that were being looked at to implement a new school.

Options being discussed included the current Bessborough property.

In March, Romeo Goguen, owner of Mapomain Moncton,proposed his land along the north edge of Centennial Park, across the street from the CN Sportplex, a large recreational facility in the west end.

"Why all of a sudden is it only Bessborough, 17 days before the election, and why is it you [are] making this announcement by yourself?" Scott said.

Scottsaid it should be about two school communities coming together with plans for an improved school, but instead Rogers made anannouncement as a matter of "convenience."

"It feels more like an ambush we were told one thing that we were going to get this information in a certain way and then it comes out as a campaign issue," Scottsaid.

"I just wish what we had understood to be the process actually took place as the process."

Parents ofHillcreststudents were polled about a possible merger withBessboroughprior to the decision to close the school.

Only about 59 per cent responded to the polland of those,37 per cent were in favour of joiningBessboroughand 38 per cent were not. The other 25 per cent were undecided.

'Cautiously optimistic'

Tyson Milner, who co-chairs the new Bessborough School parents committee and has previously run for the provincial Liberals,agrees the district education council should've come together with the minister of education and met with the parentgroups.

"I think it's a progress report in that, 'Hey we're pretty sure we can make that fit," he said of Rogers's post. "We think we can make it work. This'll be the new site."

In the meantime, Milner was remaining cautiously optimistic about the new school.

Until the district educationcouncil and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure confirm the site, "it's not news to me that they're planning it," he said, "because they have to go through the planning process to say, 'Hey will it fit?Can it meet the current education standards? Will everything be great here?"