The Lambton Kent District School Board has the green light to build a new kindergarten to Grade 12 school in the Forest area.
The provincial government announced $27.4-million in funding Wednesday afternoon for a new school that will consolidate students from Aberarder Central, Bosanquet Central, Kinnwood Central and North Lambton Secondary Schools.
Director of Education Jim Costello says it will accommodate 1,024 students and an additional 24 child care spaces.
"We've been looking forward to this decision for quite some time now," says Costello. "The community has been so supportive. We've had over a hundred letters of endorsement, we had Kettle and Stoney Point First Nation endorse our application and citizens of the Forest area."
He says the super school will be a first for the board.
"We've never had a K to 12 school. It will be state-of-the-art and built in a community that I think it will serve that community for hopefully 50 to 60 more years into the future," says Costello. "We're just thrilled with the outcome."
Costello says they still have to determine a site for the new school.
"Obviously land acquisition will be the first priority," he says. "We will have to wait and work with the government. We have an election coming in June, so I don't know if that will be a factor in terms of pausing their work, which they usually do once they call the election. As soon as we can proceed, we will. We'll move as quickly as we can."
The board has land at Kinnwood Central and where North Lambton Secondary sits right now.
However, part of the land at the high school can't be developed because it's in a flood zone and protected by the St. Clair Conservation Authority.