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February 01, 2018 - 1:40 PM
LAKE COUNTRY - Students in Lake Country are getting a new, modern middle school.
In a news release, the Ministry of Education says the new school in Winfield will help provide Lake Country children with quality public education. Premier John Horgan made the announcement today, Feb. 1.
"It is time for families in Lake Country to get the new school they have been hoping and waiting for, so their community can continue to grow while their kids thrive," Horgan says in the release. "Investing in public schools is the right thing to do for families, for communities and for our province. It's the key to a stronger economy and a brighter future for all of us."
The provincial government is providing more than $35-million to build the school, while the Central Okanagan School District will contribute $1.5-million, in addition to the nearly $4-million already spent on land.
"The new school will address the physical, social and intellectual needs of children in Lake Country, unlocking educational opportunities," Education Minister Rob Fleming says in the release. "We are moving quickly to get children out of portables and into classrooms by building the schools our growing communities desperately need."
The new middle school is scheduled to open in September 2021, with 600 new spaces for students in grades six through eight. It will be built on district-owned property south of George Elliot Secondary School, and will include a neighbourhood-learning centre for the community.
According to the Ministry of Education, schools in Lake Country are operating at 125 per cent capacity and a shortfall of 368 seats is forecasted by 2026.
The ministry says adding a new middle school will address the shortfall by adding additional spaces and allowing the district to move to a grade configuration that includes middle schools across the Central Okanagan.
Construction of the school is expected to begin May 2019.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2018