Langford’s population is booming as the Sooke School District estimates an increase of 1800 students over the next five years.
In response, Education Minister Rob Fleming announced Monday that the province is purchasing $23.3 million of land in Langford. This purchase will go towards the construction of an elementary school and a middle school.
The schools will be located on the corner of Westshore Parkway and Constellation Avenue in the Westhills Development.
The current priority is to build the middle school, followed by the elementary school. This is an attempt to improve space issues at Spencer Middle and Dunsmuir Middle schools, while also addressing the shortage of kindergarten to Grade 5 locations.
The chair of the Sooke Board of Education, Ravi Parmar, remarked that “Acquiring a site is the critical first step in accommodating students in growing communities.”
Other goals of this purchase include a reduction in the use of portables.
B.C.’s education budget for public and independent schools this year is $5.9 billion
