The return to school in Abbotsford included the opening of a new school and improvements coming to others.
The community’s newest elementary school, Irene Kelleher Totí:ltawtxw, opened in the Eagle Mountain community. The province invested $24.7 million, with the school district contributing an additional $2.5 million.
The school was built to LEED Gold standards, has capacity for 460 students and has two dedicated classrooms for childcare – a total of 88 spots, which received $3 million from ChildCareBC’s New Spaces Fund.
Minister of State for Child Care Katrina Chen said the spaces will give parents “one seamless dropoff and pickup point, as well as peace of mind knowing their kids are in one place for the whole day.”
More spaces for students in Abbotsford are on the way, with provincial funding of more than $23.1 million available for eight-classroom additions at both Auguston Traditional and Margaret Sternersen elementary schools, which will add 360 new seats to the district.
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The school district will contribute an additional $1.5 million to these projects.
The addition of 180 new seats at Auguston Traditional will alleviate enrolment pressure and allow for childcare rooms at the school to revert to their original purpose.
Two childcare classrooms will be built at Margaret Sternersen to provide care for children as old as four.
Students will be accommodated on site during construction at both schools, with both projects expected to be completed in summer 2024.
“Abbotsford is a great place to raise a family, and I’m proud of the investments our government is making to support our community,” said Pam Alexis, MLA for Abbotsford-Mission. “By investing in improved and expanded schools, we can give parents peace of mind that there will be space for their kids at schools near their homes.”
Stan Petersen, chair of the Abbotsford board of education, said the local investments are significant.
“Having sufficient learning spaces at the Abbotsford school district is essential to fulfilling our vision of providing a world-class, innovative and individualized educational experience for every student,” he said.
“We are thrilled to see new funding coming to our district, so we can move forward with expanding school spaces in an area of our city that continues to grow and attract young families.”
RELATED: Abbotsford’s newest school will also be home to new 88-seat childcare centre
Since September 2017, the provincial government has announced $3 billion for new and improved schools as well as land purchases for future schools throughout the province. This includes adding almost 20,000 new student spaces and 32,000 seismically safe seats at B.C. schools.
Budget 2022 includes $3.1 billion for school capital projects over the next three years, including new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and replacements, and land purchases for future schools.