Sooke School District 62 is seeking additional funding from the province to help it keep up with continued student body growth – expected to include 650 new students in the coming school year.
The district said rising enrolment means that in the 2023/2024 school year, it will be forced to convert multipurpose rooms usually used for music and art classes into classrooms, and an additional 50 portables will need to be purchased by 2027, even though 55 are already in use today.
The district, which just approved its five-year capital plan, said $1.4 million has been allocated already for portable purchases and moves for the upcoming school year. The average cost to move a portable is $200,000, while the average cost to buy a new portable is $400,000, and funding for portables is not currently covered by the province’s capital funding. Instead, money must come from the operating budget, which is also used for teacher pay, plus technology and book purchases.
“Without new school and addition approvals, we are looking at a dire situation in the district in the next few years,” said Scott Stinson, superintendent and CEO. “By the time our new schools open, they reach capacity very quickly and we are experiencing that with Belmont Secondary, Royal Bay Secondary, PEXSISEN Elementary and Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School.”
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In comparison to another fast-growing school district in the province, the district said it has portable ratios per student of 1:234 compared to Surrey School District at 1:208.
“Without approvals for new schools and additions, we are projecting a deficit of nearly 1,350 seats for the upcoming school year and another 2,500 by 2027,” said Amanda Dowhy, interim chair for the Sooke school board. “Continuing to fund portables as a space mitigation strategy is not sustainable for any growing district, but for one growing as quickly as ours, it could prove detrimental to the quality of education if our board is forced to choose between spaces for students and educational supports.”
The district said it has identified 11 projects which require additional capital investment in order to accommodate enrolment growth over the next five years, including new elementary and secondary schools in north Langford, an elementary school in south Colwood, a middle school in either north Langford or south Colwood and an elementary school in Sooke.
Additions are also needed at Ruth King Elementary School, Spencer Middle School, Edward Milne Community School, David Cameron Elementary School, Millstream Elementary School, and Westshore Secondary School.
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