Planning begins for new Langford secondary school

LANGFORD - A new secondary school project in the fast-growing Sooke School District will bring more new student seats for families.

"As more people choose to make British Columbia their home, we're investing in schools to welcome new students," said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. "That's why we're taking action by supporting new secondary school projects in one of the fastest-growing school districts in the province."

With this announcement, planning for additional student seats at a new Langford secondary school can start.

"More than 10 years ago, I started advocating for two new schools in the Westshore, and I'm now proud to be an MLA delivering an investment to begin planning for a new high school in Langford," said Ravi Parmar, MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca. "The creation of a new, modern school for students to live, play and grow is going to benefit Langford for generations to come."

Over the past seven years, government has provided approximately $270 million to create approximately 2,660 new student seats in the Sooke School District. This includes the new Pexsisen Elementary, Centre Mountain Lellum Middle school, an addition to Royal Bay Secondary and SĆIȺNEW̱ SṮEȽIṮḴEȽ Elementary, and a 480-seat school with on-site child care, which is under construction.

"We will continue to ensure that all students have the opportunity to thrive and grow in safe, modern spaces. This is why we will keep building and enhancing schools in the Sooke School District and throughout B.C." said Mitzi Dean, Minister of State for Child Care. "We will continue to invest in the Langford school community."

Additionally, earlier this year the Province announced it will provide $11.84 million for a full replacement of Port Renfrew Elementary as part of government's seismic mitigation program.

The Province has also provided funding for prefabricated additions to two elementary schools in the Sooke School District. Expected to be built by fall 2024, the additions to David Cameron Elementary and Ruth King Elementary will add 190 seats to each school.

"In recent years, our experiences in school construction and design have underscored the vital importance of community engagement, particularly in shaping secondary sites," said Amanda Dowhy, board chair, Sooke School District. "We are dedicated to collaborating closely with our community partners to ensure that our proposal reflects the collective aspirations and makes the most efficient use of the land and resources we have. Together, we strive to create a secondary school that not only caters to the needs of today's students but also inspires and serves future generations."

Since September 2017, the B.C. government has provided more than $4 billion for new and improved schools, and land purchases for future schools, throughout the province. This has resulted in 25,000 new student spaces and 35,000 seismically safer seats at B.C. schools.

Budget 2024 includes $3.75 billion for school capital projects over the next three years, including new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and replacements, and land purchases for future schools.

Quick Facts:

• "Supported to begin planning" means government is supporting the school district to proceed with developing a business case for a new secondary school.
• When finalized, the business case, which will detail the scope, schedule and budget for the project, will be brought forward to government for final funding approval.
• Depending on the scale of a project, a finalized business case takes eight months on average.
• Following funding approval, the project proceeds to design and construction.

Learn More:

For more information about Sooke School District 62, visit: https://www.sd62.bc.ca/

For information about major public school capital projects underway, visit:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/capital/major-capital-projects

To learn about B.C.'s Seismic Mitigation Program, visit:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/capital/seismic-mitigation

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