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May 26, 2021 - 4:40 PM
Kelowna’s Dr. Knox Middle School will soon have a new addition to replace nine portables on site and the school district is buying land for an elementary school in the Wilden neighbourhood.
As part of the 2021/22 budget, the province announced support for two of the Central Okanagan Public School’s seven priority capital projects: an addition to École Dr. Knox Middle School and the purchase of land in the Wilden neighbourhood for an elementary school.
As one of the fastest growing areas in the City of Kelowna, the Glenmore Valley experiences significant capacity issues, with more than 15% of its students in portables, according to a press release issued by the school district.
This school year, Dr. Knox is at 115% utilization and has seven portables on site, with an additional two portables to be installed this summer, the district said. The addition will eliminate all portables and allow for up to 1,100 students to attend the school.
The project is expected to cost more than $20 million and the district is developing the final project plan to secure final treasury board approval. The project should be completed by September 2023, the district said.
The elementary school site in Wilden will be located at Union Road at the north end of the subdivision. With the land now available, the school district is advocating for the provincial government to proceed with the approval of the school building, providing capacity support to the Glenmore Valley elementary schools, which are at 130% utilization and will have 13 portables after this summer.
"The Board of Education is very pleased to see support from the provincial government on these urgent priorities," said board chairperson Moyra Baxter, in the press release. "The Board of Education continues to advocate for our other priority projects such as Rutland Middle School and Glenmore Secondary, where we have a plan, suitable locations and just need the government's support to move forward."
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