The province has bought six acres of land for a future elementary school in Langford, but it only scratches the surface of what will be needed in the coming years in the Sooke school district, one of the fastest growing in B.C.
“Last year, we were the second-fastest growing district. We’re projected to be the fastest-growing again next year, or have the most growth,” said district suprintendent Jim Cambridge.
The land on South Skirt Mountain cost $6.6 million and will be held pending an expected population jump in the area, linked to the completion of the new Bear Mountain Parkway. The plan is to build an elementary school for about 400 students and replace Millstream Elementary with a larger facility.
The province has already spent a considerable amount in the district since September 2017, including $25.2 million to expand Royal Bay Secondary and $23.3 million for 16 acres in West Langford, where an elementary school and middle school will be built.
The district’s updated Long Range Facilities Plan says there is projected need for 4,400 more student spaces in the next few years. In Langford alone, the population grew to 35,342 in 2016 from 18,840 in 2001, and is expected to reach 42,000 by 2026.
“Our surprise out of the updated Long Range Facilities Plan was that we really have to be looking at 10 and 20 years’ growth, and planning for that,” Cambridge said.
“We’re a bit taken aback.”
The sustained growth expected over the next 20 years means things have to be looked at in another way, Cambridge said.
“Our challenge is that we have to deal with growth,” he said. “We’re projecting 517 more kids next year than we had this year. That’s pretty significant.
“So growth becomes the central part, but at the same time, you have an aging infrastructure that needs some attention.”
The pace of growth puts the Sooke district in a unique situation, Cambridge said. “We have to think a little bit differently than other school districts with this rate of change.”
One thing that is vital is buying school land in advance of development, like the land on South Skirt Mountain.
“We need to acquire land before it’s gone,” Cambridge said. “It has become really apparent. There are a couple of places where we’ve tried to build a school but we haven’t been able to secure a site.”
The challenge has been apparent for some time. District officials announced in October 2016 that they were looking for land for up to four new schools due to an expected rise in enrolment of about 1,800 over five years. Current enrolment is just under 11,000.
In the portion of the West Shore south of the Trans-Canada Highway, projections in the facilities-plan update are for close to 1,100 new elementary school spaces being needed over the next 10 years. A site is being sought for an elementary school to accommodate about 400, and there are additional plans for an elementary school in the Royal Bay area.
Also in the long-range vision is replacement builds for Savory and Sangster elementaries, as well as modernization of Willway, Ruth King, Wishart and Hans Helgesen elementaries.
Other priorities include acquiring a site for another secondary school on the West Shore, even though Royal Bay and Belmont secondaries are both less than three years old. Cambridge said the 12 to 14 acres needed for a secondary school must be acquired now. “It likely won’t be available five years from now, when we want to build it.”
In the Sooke area, plans call for a new elementary school in Sooke on land already acquired at Sunriver Estates. Also part of the facilities-plan update is replacement of Sooke Elementary with a larger school, and replacement, renovation or expansion of John Muir Elementary.
Expansion is also in the plans for Journey, Spencer and Dunsmiur middle schools, as well as Edward Milne Secondary.
