Liberal MLA for Bedford-Birch Cove Kelly Regan wants the Department of Education to explain why it’s signing off on the design of a replacement school for Charles P. Allen High that will have the school overcapacity when the doors open in 2013.

“This year, there are 1215 students enrolled at Charles P. Allen High and yet the new school is being built for 1200 students – it just doesn’t make sense,” says Regan. “By the time the new facility opens, it’s expected well over 1300 students will be registered to attend it.”

“The construction plans don’t fit the current or projected needs of the school – this isn’t a smart investment if it isn’t built properly.”

The present C.P. Allen building was designed to house approximately 800 students and has been operating at well over capacity for years.

The school’s catchment area is one of massive growth in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Three of the six areas identified for growth in HRM are within CPA’s catchment area.

“The new school is needed in large part because the student body outgrew the facility,” Regan explains. “If the provincial government allows this design to go ahead, students in Bedford and Hammonds Plains will be right back in the same overcrowded situation as soon as the school opens in 2013.”

The design process for the replacement school closes on February 28, 2011.