The Sooke School District, using funding from the B.C. government, has acquired new property in the Royal Bay area that will become the site for a future elementary school.
This marks the fifth school site purchased in the district over the last three years.
In order to purchase the new school site – located between Latoria Boulevard and Metchosin Road – the B.C. government invested $8.3 million, while the Sooke School District provided an additional $1.2 million.
“Students deserve to learn in positive, engaging and inspiring classrooms, just as they are now at the new addition at Royal Bay Secondary school,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education. “Our government has made great progress investing in the future of schools in the Sooke School District, and we’re taking another great step forward with a new school site that will serve children in Royal Bay for generations to come.”
The government said that they will work alongside the district in order to find the “best path forward” for building the new elementary school, which is being added to the community in order to free up more student spaces at nearby schools.
“This is an exciting time for families in Royal Bay and all of the Westshore, as we continue building and expanding the schools our community needs,” said Mitzi Dean, MLA for Esquimalt-Metchosin. “I can’t wait to see students walking through the doors of a brand-new elementary school in Royal Bay.”
The new Royal Bay school site is one of eight school capital projects in the Sooke School District that the provincial government has helped fund in recent years.
The announcement comes on the heels of a new 600-student addition opening this month at Royal Bay Secondary School as well – another one of the capital projects in the district.
“We’re excited about the prospect of one day, in the near future, building a school for the hundreds of families that call Royal Bay home,” said Ravi Parmar, board chair with the Sooke School District Board of Education.
The Government of B.C. has invested over $2 billion to school capital projects since 2017, including the 1,800 new student seats in the Sooke School District.
The Province’s Budget 2020 includes a record $2.8 billion for school capital investments throughout B.C., added the government in a press release.
Graham Cox
