Sooke School District 62 has made it official.
The much-discussed changes to catchment boundaries necessitated by the addition of two new schools in 2022 were approved at a meeting on Dec. 15 by the board of education.
ALSO READ: Sooke School District opens conversation on catchment boundary changes
SD62 board chair Ravi Parmar thanked stakeholders, students and families for their participation in an extensive consultation that led to the approval of the proposed recommendations.
Notable changes involve adjusting school boundaries in Langford and Colwood to create new catchment areas for Pexisen Elementary School and Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School, which are set to open in September 2022. While most of the shifts will take place in 2022, SD62 will look at different options to minimize disruption to families, Parmar noted in a media release.
ALSO READ: Sooke School District breaks ground on two new Langford schools
The secondary level French Immersion program will move from Ecole John Stubbs to Royal Bay Secondary School.
Current French Immersion secondary students at Belmont Secondary School will complete their public education and graduate out of Belmont. The program will phase out of Belmont and into Royal Bay Secondary School. French Immersion students going into Grade 9 will head to Royal Bay, with more details to follow in the new year.
English program families living in the Belmont Park area will shift from Crystal View Elementary School to Colwood Elementary School. There is an option for students to “grandparent” into their current schools as well.
“We are pleased that in September 2022 we will be able to add two new schools for our community,” Parmar said. “We recognize that through the engagement process and by reviewing enrolment projections that our district will struggle to deal with the exponential growth in the West Shore and Sooke regions. Our board will continue to work with the provincial government to advocate for capital investments to build more schools for our students and staff so they can continue to learn, engage and grow in beautiful, state of the art, inclusive learning hubs.”
Scott Stinson, superintendent of schools for SD62, said the committee set out to see how the district could maximize space as the district continues to grow without overcrowding one school or under-utilizing another.
“The proposals put forward and accepted by the board truly puts families and programs first,” Stinson said.
Visit sd62.bc.ca for more information.
rick.stiebel@goldstreamgazette.com
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