An $11.2 million dollar project will see six new classrooms and more child care spaces at West Sechelt Elementary School.
The project includes the addition of 145 seats for students and the Sunshine Coast School District is kicking in an extra $500,000 dollars for the project.
“We are so grateful for the Ministry of Education’s ongoing support and commitment of excellence to our students, staff, and community,” said Pammila Ruth, chair, Sunshine Coast Board of Education. “As we celebrate the start of construction of the West Sechelt Elementary expansion, I am moved by the lasting impact this will have in serving the needs of many families in our community.”
This is the first major school construction project in School District 46 since 2014 and Minister of Education Rob Fleming said with this expansion, the school will be able to handle increased enrollment numbers.
“The school will be able to grow and respond to growing enrollment in that part of the Sunshine Coast. It’s a $10.7 million dollar project and the bonus for the community as well is that working with the Ministry of Children and Family Development, we have included 28 child care spaces there, so there will be a child care facility included in the plan,” said Fleming.
Fleming said this expansion will benefit middle-class families on the Sunshine Coast.
“I think it’s around young families making a home for themselves in the Sunshine Coast and that’s positive and I think, in terms of our governments’ goal around making life more affordable for middle-class families across British Columbia, part of that is responding to family supports and what could be more critical than having school investments,” said Fleming.
“For too long, finding quality, affordable child care close to home has been a struggle for families,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “Co-locating these new child care spaces on school grounds is convenient for parents at drop-off and pick-up times, and even more importantly, it helps children have a smoother transition into the school system, setting them on the path to lifelong learning.”
Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons was an advocate to see this project through and he said, “Our government is making this investment to make sure more children in this community can learn in positive learning environments for years to come, and it’s good to see that work getting underway.”
Since September 2017, the provincial government has announced more than $735 million to add nearly 13,000new student seats to provide a positive learning experience.
The project is expected to be completed next year and is part of the provincial government’s 2020 Budget, which includes $2.8 billion dollars in school capital projects.
