Leo Hayes High School

operational

Opportunity The New Brunswick Department of Education needed to build a new school in Fredericton for students in Grades nine through 12 in order to serve the city’s growing population.  The school was the second to be built in New Brunswick using a public-private partnership. Innovations A lifecycle costing program protects the school from annual operating fund fluctuations that can affect public schools. Monthly operating payments include a $75,000 annual Refurbishment Allowance and a $21,000 annual Equipment Replacement Allowance. These funds are retained in a special-purpose account and are spent at the discretion of the Department of Education and the School District. The majority (80 per cent) of capital cost for the facility was financed through single purpose companies owned by CN Rail and CPP pension funds. Results The 167,000-square-foot facility includes 53 classrooms—12 of which have movable walls, three gymnasiums, an exercise/weight room, a bi-level library/media centre, science labs, four art rooms, two music rooms, and a cafetorium. The school can accommodate up to 1,800 students and employs 90 staff. The school was designed to incorporate First Nations imagery in its architecture to reflect its proximity to the First Nation Community of St. Mary’s. The partnership has been quite successful for the government and School District with the facility operating as well as any other in the province.

High