Chelsea’s only public French-language elementary school is just one student away from capacity, according to the local school service centre. Meanwhile, the municipality continues to wait for a new elementary that the mayor says is desperately needed. 

Grand Boisé elementary school, located on Scott Road in Chelsea, has a capacity of 551 students, according to the Centre de services scolaire des Portages-de-l’Outaouais (CSSPO). The number of registered students is currently 550. 

Last month the Quebec Ministry of Education (MEQ) announced that it would be continuing to delay a long-awaited project to bring a second French-language elementary school to Chelsea. 

At the time, Chelsea Mayor Brian Nolan responded with strong words for the provincial government, “Our population is growing rapidly, our schools are overflowing and our families are already feeling the consequences of a glaring lack of school infrastructure.”

As of Aug. 8, there are no plans to transfer any students to other municipalities, Gessyca Bikakoudi, a spokesperson for the CSSPO told the Low Down. 

“However, it is important to note that a student transfer may occur when there are too many students in a grade level, but not enough to open a new class. Therefore, it is important to be careful and not automatically equate student transfers with a school’s total capacity,” she explained.

CSSPO was on holiday when the announcement was made in July by the MEQ. On Aug. 8, Bikakoudi said, “The CSSPO continues to follow this matter closely and remains committed to meeting the growing needs of the school population in the Chelsea area.

“The elementary school project in Chelsea remains included in the Quebec Infrastructure Plan (PQI). To date, work has been put on hold by the Quebec Ministry of Education. We are therefore awaiting official authorization from the MEQ to continue the process of moving forward with this project,” Bikakoudi added.