Rick Stiebel
News Staff
The province is providing funding for two new schools in Langford to the tune of $88.6 million.
B.C. Premier John Horgan and Education Minister Rob Fleming made the announcement Monday where a 500-seat elementary school and a 700-seat middle school will be built.
Horgan said the new schools will help address the needs of a rapidly growing community after a decade of underfunding by the previous government. The state-of-the-art schools will deliver modern learning environments that children need while also providing space for community organizations and events.
“Families are flocking from all over to make this community home because of the recreational and cultural opportunities Langford provides,” Horgan said. “The growth is not stopping any time soon.”
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Horgan also thanked the Sooke School Board and Sooke School District staff for their efforts in bringing the need to plan ahead for future growth in the community to his attention from the time he was first elected as an MLA 14 years ago. “We need to invest in K to Grade 12 in order for these communities to grow.”
Fleming said the new schools will ensure that families on the West Shore are well served close to home. The new elementary school will include a neighbourhood learning centre and child care space, he added.
The new schools will be built on a 6.5-hectare site on Constellation Avenue off of West Shore Parkway. The land was purchased in November 2017 with $32.3 million provided by the provincial government and $1.6 million from the Sooke School District. The schools are expected to be completed by September 2022.
Ravi Parmar, chair of the Sooke School District, said the new schools will help eliminate the need for portables. He thanked the District’s trustees and staff for working diligently to plan for future growth in the community.
The provincial government’s budget for 2019 includes $2.7 billion for school capital investments, including new schools, expansions, seismic upgrades and land purchases for future schools.
