Parents relieved new French schools will be built

Parents say they'reglad that hundreds of students from the Kennebecasis Valley will finally be able to get their education much closer to home in a couple of years.

It was announced Wednesday that theDepartment of Educationscapital budget set aside $104 million for new school projects in 2012-13.

Quispamsis is getting two new schools by 2014, including a French kindergarten to Grade 8 school.

Marc Mathurin is president of the parents' committee that's been pushing for a new school.

He says a permanent school will make life easier on children and parents.

"What happens is a lot of people weren't involved in after school activities because you'd have to go all the way into Saint John, and after 4:30, 5 oclock. get back from work to drive back to Saint John was not always easy," he said. "You have kids, five, six, seven years oldso it gets pretty tough."

He says a permanent school in the town should strengthen the French community in the Kennebecasis Valley.

"It just means that we can have more kids that should be going to French schools going to French schools, because a lot of parents send their kids to the smaller local English schools becausethey find the trips too long for the kids," Mathurin said.

"So having a French school closer by will help us keep the French community together."

For now, Francophone students must go to Ecole Samuel-de-Champlain in Saint Johna 40-minute drive away, or the satellite school in Quispamsis, which holds about 65 children.

Mathurin said the new school could potentially handle 350 students. Parents have been lobbying for a new a school for the past four years.

It's expected to take in kids from Rothesay to Sussex.