Students and staff at some School District 63 (Saanich) schools will be in new portables when classes resume this fall.
In order to accommodate students in smaller classrooms, as mandated in the restored teacher contract language in B.C., the District has bought four new portables that will be installed at three different schools.
Two will be going to North Saanich Middle School, one to Claremont Secondary and one to Prospect Lake Elementary. Delivery of the portables is expected by the early fall.
Jason Reid, the District’s secretary-treasurer, told the News Review they are also completing renovations in many of their schools “to convert existing space in to additional classroom space.”
That includes, Reid explained, conversion of computer labs into class space.
“This includes … moving to mobile devices (Chomebooks or iPads) that can be used for instruction within classrooms, instead of moving to a separate computer lab.”
A certain amount of office space within District schools is also being converted and some program space within the schools will also be relocated.
It’s being done to create more space for students as class sizes return to 2002 levels.
Earlier this week, School District 62 (Sooke) announced it was adding 19 new portables for the next school year.
Internal space renovations, he stated, is taking place at Prospect Lake Elementary (one classroom added), Lochside Elementary (three classrooms added), Kelset Elementary (one classroom added), Cordova Bay Elementary (one classroom added), Keating Elementary (one classroom added), Royal Oak Middle School (three classrooms added) and Claremont Secondary (one classroom added).
“In total we are adding around 15 classrooms — four portables and 11 from internal renovation.”
