CAMBRIDGE — Surprise! They’re tearing down your school and building a new one.

That’s how it is for families at Grand View Public School in Cambridge, where parents and children will soon find out that the historic school, which was due for major renovations and expansion this year, will be demolished instead.

A new school will be built on the same site, opening in September 2011.

Public school trustees voted unanimously Monday night to spend $7 million on a brand-new building, rather than $4.6 million on expanding the old school and fixing things like the uneven floors, tired gym and old boiler.

School principal Rob Rebellato said parents will have their first official news at Wednesday’s school council meeting.

When Cambridge trustee Cindy Watson asked board staff why Grand View parents haven’t been consulted yet, she was told that it’s not how things are done.

“It’s not been our standard practice to ask in a community whether or not they would like a new school,” said Marilyn Marklevitz, the board’s executive superintendent of business and financial services.

“Generally speaking, the answer is ‘Yes, we would like a new school.’”

Watson said she is “not happy” that parents weren’t informed ahead of time of the decision, but trustees still voted in favour of building the new school.

Other parents in the Preston area of Cambridge are upset at the lack of communication.

Lee Ann Mitchell, who lives nearby but whose children go to a different school, only found out about the change on Monday afternoon, three hours before the trustees’ meeting.

She couldn’t attend the meeting at such short notice.

“”Parents are not even aware,” she said. “My concern is, this came about very quickly, without anybody’s knowledge. That’s not what was voted on (last year) and agreed to.

“They can’t just suddenly ram it through. They need more discussion with the public. They’re talking about ripping down the original high school from Preston.”

The trustees’ decision must still be ratified at the official monthly board meeting in late March.

There was one group of parents that did know in advance, and were at the meeting to show support for the decision. These were about six parents from the Deer Ridge and Pioneer Tower area in Kitchener, whose children will be bused to Grand View next year.

The influx of children from this area will increase the population of Grand View to 310 from its existing 180. That’s why renovations and an addition were considered in the first place.

These children had been bused to Preston Public School, but Preston is now overcrowded.

Sean Wilson of Deer Ridge said he’s pleased about the new school being built.

“I think it’s a positive step for the Grand View community,” he said. “I think everybody’s in favour of it.”

The existing school “has some nice history and stuff, but as far as being a modern learning environment, it leaves a bit to be desired,” he said. Some classrooms are in the basement.

Trustees were told that the design for the new school might be able to incorporate some of the features of the old school, such as part of the façade, the stone carvings and perhaps the interior wood doors.

Grand View first opened in 1923, according to its website. It officially became Preston High School in 1940, and during the Second World War, 133 men from the school served in the armed forces, including the principal. Fourteen were killed.

The school grew fast after the war ended. Agriculture was added to the curriculum, and a chicken house, bee hives and a garden tractor were added.

In 1956, the current Preston High School was built nearby on Rose Street, and Grand View once again became an elementary school.