Pacific Way Elementary (Image credit: CFJC)

By Sydney Chisholm

PROPOSED ABERDEEN HIGH SCHOOL

“Building schools shouldn’t be politically motivated, but it is,” Ministry of Education ignores pleas from Kamloops parents

Nov 10, 2022 | 5:41 PM

KAMLOOPS — “Building schools shouldn’t be politically motivated, but it is,” Chris Ponti, Chair of the District Parent Advisory Council told CFJC News.

With all of Kamloops’ public schools at or over capacity, the board of education has been lobbying for new schools for years with no success.

In hopes to advocate for the local student population, DPAC reached out to the ministry of education and met with a representative on Monday.

“We are here because the district has tried and they are trying and they have failed so far. We are here to say ‘hey we need help and this is why,’” Ponti said.

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City Councillor Dale Bass, who attended Monday’s meeting said the lack of capital funds for the district only creates more problems for residents.

“We’re doing everything we can to build houses here, you get the build as fast as we can. But then we create this crisis in the school system, as well. Which then reverberates in attracting doctors and medical professionals, because there’s nowhere for their kids to go to school,” Bass said.

“They’re going to be in a portable, and most schools can’t handle any more portables.”

The top three priorities for the district include elementary schools in Pineview and Batchelor Heights, both of which the ministry has confirmed support for’

Next in line for capital projects is a new high school in Aberdeen.

“This [Aberdeen] is the fasting growing section of the city and is already the most overcapacity of the city,” Ponti said.

The district has a location in mind for the new secondary school but it comes with a $6 million price tag and they need the ministry to write the check.

The development company that owns the Aberdeen property met with the school district in march of last year and agreed to hold the proposed site.

Earlier this year, the company informed the district they would only be able to hold the site for them until the end of next month.

According to Ponti, the proposed site is thought to be the last viable location for a high school in the neighborhood.

When the district reached out to the ministry to help them secure the Aberdeen land before the developer’s deadline, they received a letter back saying the province would look in to in next year’s budget– which would come out almost two months after the developer’s deadline.

“It will be an absolute shame because that will just put us back even farther than where we are,” Bass said.

According to the Ministry of Education and Childcare, SD73’s funding request for an Aberdeen school is being considered alongside requests for capital funding from British Columbia’s 59 other boards of education, with the outcome of the process to be announced with the 2023 budget.