New location confirmed for St. Frances Cree Bilingual School

St. Frances Cree Bilingual School is getting a new home.

Education Minister Gordon Wyant announced a $34.5 million in funding from the province for a brand new elementary school on Wednesday.

“The new facility will provide space for approximately 700 students, to support the growth and development of the families and students in Saskatoon’s St. Frances community for years to come,” Wyant said in a government news release.  “The new St. Frances Cree Bilingual school will continue to ensure an equitable and inclusive system that benefits all learners.”

The current space for St. Frances Cree Bilingual School has been an ongoing struggle for the program that began in 2007. Enrollment numbers have spiked in recent years forcing the school to be offered at two separate locations to accommodate a large number of students.

The new facility will be located at 2010-7th Street East in Saskatoon, the site of the former Sion Middle School, and current space being leased by the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC).

The new school is expected to provide space for 700 prekindergarten to Grade 8 students, in an attempt to alleviate enrollment pressures at the school’s current space. There will also be 70 new child care spaces for young families.

“There are a lot of smiling faces knowing a new St. Frances Cree Bilingual School is that much closer to becoming a reality,” Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools Board of Education Chair Diane Boyko said.

“It has been a long journey for students, families, staff, and for our board to get a school facility that is representative of the learning that happens inside and out. Longer still is the journey of reconciliation with the Indigenous community, and this is a very tangible indication of our commitment along that journey.”

The Ministry of Education is working with the school division, STC, parents and community members for a shared planning and design vision to incorporate into an inclusive design for all learners, the release stated.

“Our elders have taught us that to fully understand our traditional culture, we must begin by learning our inherent languages,” Saskatoon Tribal Council Tribal Chief Mark Arcand said in the news release.

“Although colonization has negatively impacted our ability to access our language and culture, we continue to move forward with great perseverance and resolve. Our young people are the fastest growing population in Saskatchewan, and a new St. Frances Cree Bilingual School will offer a long-overdue solution to the space issues that have been created as a result of our success.”