The debate of possible school closures has been reignited as the school board looks for ways to save money and to ensure students are in seismically sound schools.
It posted a draft of its Long Range Facilities Plan, which is a revision of its 2016 plan that first sounded the alarm on potential closures.
The report highlights how enrolment numbers are dropping across the district.
In 2017, the district saw 4,700 fewer students than 2007. By 2027, a further decline of 2,300 is expected.
The report also says half of the schools are more than 70 years old with "significant seismic safety concerns."
The report does not formally list specific schools on the chopping block.
It does, however, identify several with low enrollment numbers and high seismic risks, which includes:
- Grandview Elementary
- Queen Alexandra Elementary
- Britannia Elementary
- Admiral Seymour Elementary
- Bayview Elementary
- Queen Elizabeth Elementary
- Sir Guy Carleton Elementary
- George T. Cunningham Elementary
- Waverley Elementary
- General Brock Elementary
- John Henderson Elementary
- Sir Alexander Mackenzie Elementary
- Graham D. Bruce Elementary
- Grenfell Elementary
- Dr. H. N. MacCorkindale Elementary
- Champlain Heights Elementary
- Sir John Franklin Elementary
- Dr. A.R. Lord Elementary
- Lord Beaconsfield Elementary
- Mount Pleasant Elementary
- Florence Nightingale Elementary
- Lord Selkirk Annex School
- Nootka Elementary
- Renfrew Elementary
- Thunderbird Elementary
- John Oliver Secondary
- Killarney Secondary
- Templeton Secondary
- Britannia Secondary
- Gladstone Secondary
- Windermere Secondary
The public can provide feedback on the draft report via email: LRFP@vsb.bc.ca.
A formal list of schools considered for closure would be provided by the end of September.
In 2016, school board trustees mulled the closure of a dozen schools before being fired by the provincial government.
Senior staff at the school district was on medical leave and claimed the work place had been toxic, prompting a WorkSafeBC investigation.
The education minister at the time said the closure process had been scrapped.
