Robert Maddix says the need for a classroom is "immediate." (CBC)

The province has agreed to pay for a Grade 8 classroom at École-sur-Mer in Summerside this year.

But the legal dispute between the P.E.I. French Language School Board and province over funding continues.

Construction on the new classroom will get underway next week at École-sur-Mer .

In March, the province said it wouldn't provide the funding for this school year, but instead it budgeted for the Grade 8 classroom in 2013.

"We need space for Grade 8 immediately," said Robert Maddix, chair of the school board.

Now, Education Minister Alan McIsaac has given the board permission to spend $350,000 on the new classroom for this year.

"We're just advancing it and moving it up," McIsaac said.

However, Maddix says the total cost will be about $400,000, and says he hopes the province will pay the difference.

"We need laboratories, we need a music room, other space for students. We want to proceed right away for that because we need that for September 2013," Maddix said.

"It's a necessity to put this infrastructure in place to allow these students to have a French language education."

The classroom won't be ready until December.

In the meantime, Grade 8 students and staff will use a nearby community centre.

But the board isn't abandoning its legal proceedings against the province over the issue.

It wants money for a Grade 9 classroom for September 2013, a request the province has rejected up to this point.

The school board argues the expansion of École-sur-Mer is a constitutional right.

They'll head to court in September.