Significant expansions are coming to two West Shore elementary schools.
The Sooke School District will receive $24 million to help fund additional classrooms at Ruth King and David Cameron elementary schools, Langford-Juan de Fuca MLA Ravi Parmer announced on Oct. 31.
The boost will add 190 seats in eight new classrooms at each school with the new spaces expected to be ready by fall 2024.
The funding is part of an approximately $260 million package approved by the province to help address the shortage of seats in the Sooke School District.
The district has grown by 40 per cent over the last 15 years, according to Amanda Dowhy, Sooke School Board chairperson, and has welcomed 499 new students this school year alone.
“The needs of our students, staff and families are not lost in the explosive growth within our region’s new schools and expansion,” she said.
The funding helps to alleviate some of the financial challenges faced by the district, Dowhy said, adding “we would face significant financial challenges to accommodate our enrollment growth.”
The new classrooms will be prefabricated, and Dowhy noted SD62 will be the first in the province to receive them.
“In the past two and half years, we have experienced a rapid population growth, and more than 350,000 new people have moved to British Columbia,” said Minister of Education and Child Care Rachna Singh. “We know it places pressure on public infrastructure, including our schools.”
The prefabricated buildings are part of a pilot project by the Ministry of Education and Child Care, aimed at helping fast-growing areas, like the West Shore, meet demand.
The province has approved $156 million for prefabricated classrooms across B.C.
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