UpFront Schooldistrictseeks$300Mforland,schools

Capital plan submission spells out need for new west side middle school,downtown elementary schools

JulieMacLellan jmaclellan@newwestrecord ca

The NewWestminster school district has put a price tag on its school building needs, and it’s a big one: $302 million

School District 40 trustees approved the district’s capital plan submission for 2024-25 at their June 20 board meeting.

The submission sets out the district’s five-year capital funding requests to the B C Ministry of Education and Child Care

One of the biggest-ticket items in the capital plan submission this year is the need for a new middle school in the Fraser River zone, on the west side of the city

The district also listed the need for that school as a top priority last year, when it asked for $65.1 million.This year’s plan pegs the cost at $83 4 million.

School district secretary-treasurer Bettina Ket- cham said the cost increase is driven by both soaring building costs and the fact that the district is now proposing a 600-student school, rather than the 500-student school it requested last year

The new middle school is one of two schools the district needs in the Fraser River zone to cope with rapidly escalating enrolment at schools in the city’s fast-growing core where École Qayqayt Elementary School, Lord Kelvin Elementary School and Fraser River Middle School are all bursting at the seams

Ketcham said work is “well underway” at finding a place to build the middle school, and the district anticipates identifying the site during the 2023-24 school year.The district received ministry support for that land acquisition this past March, which Ketcham said was a “really significant win” for SD40

Downtown Needs

Hand-in-hand with the new middle school, the NewWest school district also previously identified the need for a new, 600-student elementary school, which will be built on the Fraser River Middle School site adjacent to Simcoe Park

That school hasn’t yet received funding. However, because the province has already approved that project to move to the business case stage, it’s not included in this year’s capital plan submission.

New to the district’s capital plan this year is a request for land acquisition for yet another school site to accommodate growth in the downtown core.

Ketcham said the new Fraser River elementary school will serve the district well for the short and medium term, but projections show the area will continue to see a high level of growth

In anticipation of that growth, the district is asking for $24 million for land acquisition for another school to serve the downtown area.

Queensborough Needs

Outside of the Fras- er River zone, the district’s capital plan submission also targets funding for another high-growth area of the city: Queensborough

The district is looking for $6 9 million to add eight more classrooms to the forthcoming Queen Elizabeth Elementary

School expansion, plus $14 4 million to acquire land in Queensborough and $95 6 million to build an expansion to Queensborough Middle School that would accommodate a secondary school wing

(See more details in info box below.)

Alternateprograms,Sappertonlandacquisitionalsoonthelist

What would School District 40 do with $300 million?

Here are a few more highlights from the school district’s capital plan submission to the B.C. Ministry of Education for 2023-24

RCAP/POWER

The district is asking for

$10 million to acquire a site for its alternate high school education programs, Royal City Alternate Program and POWER.

The district had originally proposed locating the programs in a stand-alone building on the Fraser River Middle School site, but that plan didn’t get ministry go-ahead. Now, SD40 is looking for a chance to buy a building that it can renovate to provide a permanent home for the alternate programs. (The $10-million estimate is for both purchase and renovations )

LAND ACQUISITION IN SAPPERTON

The district is acknowledging the need for a future school site to accommodate future growth on the east side of the city; it’s pegged the land value at $11.6 million.

HUME PARK ELEMENTARY

The school district is continuing to ask for future funding for the Hume Park Elementary site in response to the Sapperton Green development. It pegs replacement costs at $44.6 million.

The district is also looking for $509,000 for seismic upgrades to the existing elementary school building, which currently houses its

Home Learners Program.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

You can find a full report on the School District 40 capital plan submission for 2024-25 in the agenda for the June 20 school board meeting at www.newwest schools.ca.

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The City of New Westminster is starting the process to develop its financial plan for 2024 to 2028, which includes the capital and operating budgets for 2024 Community input is one of several factors that inform the development of the City's annual budget, and we are asking for the community’s input on some key questions from City Council and staff. Visit the Be Heard page by July 10 to take our online survey and participate in a discussion forum on how you think the City should allocate any unexpected funding such as grants. beheardnewwest.ca/budget2024

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