Horizon School Division used education stimulus funding to upgrade to LED lighting in most of it's schools. File photo/northeastNOW staff

By Doug Lett

Schools in Northeast getting upgrades

Northeast schools get big funds to light up classrooms

Dec 4, 2022 | 8:00 AM

Provincial funding for some major upgrades in schools in northeast Saskatchewan has paid off.

Both the Horizon and North East School Divisions said the projects have helped with more than just the improvements being funded.

The Horizon School division received about $1.9 million to upgrade to LED lighting in most of its schools.

Education Director Kevin Garinger said the result is a big saving on electrical bills.

“Just with the 37 schools that we have been able to do at this point, we’re realizing costs anywhere from about $150,000 to $250,000 dollars every year in reduced electrical bills,” he said.

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And besides saving money, he said the lights make for better working conditions, both for students and staff.

“There’s been lots of ad hoc comments that come in that indicate the support for having renewed lighting and certainly brighter lighting in our facilities, and both from our staff and students…So that’s been a very, very positive,” said Garinger.

Another benefit, he said, is that it has allowed the division to funnel limited money into other things.

He said the work was finished during the 2021-22 school year. The Horizon School Division operates 41 schools across east central Saskatchewan.

The Tisdale Middle and Secondary School received around 1.2 million dollars, for major roof work for the grade 6-12 school. Director of Education Stacy Lair said the 3700 square feet of the roof hadn’t been done since 1994, and the work was needed.

Major roof work was completed for Tisdale Middle and Secondary School. Submitted photo/North East School Division

“We thought we had to plan some of our preventative maintenance dollars for the project,” said Lair. “But with the Ministry stepping in at this time, it afforded us to take those preventative maintenance dollars and apply them to a few other projects,” she said.

Lair said those other projects included some work at LP Miller High school in Nipawin and several other schools in the division.

“The northeast and Tisdale as a whole benefit from that. And so we feel quite fortunate, I think, both for the funding and the partnerships in this case,” she said. “So in terms of the stimulus, it did have a trickle effect for the Northeast.”

The work was announced in June 2020, as part of a package of 15 education stimulus projects worth nearly $26 million. The province announced on Wednesday that almost all the projects are completed – including the Horizon and Tisdale projects.

doug.lett@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @DougLettSK