A long-awaited expansion at G.W. Graham secondary school is going ahead.
The B.C. Ministry of Education has approved $23.9 million to fund an add-on that is scheduled to open in September of 2022.
The expansion will add 450 seats, increasing G.W. Graham’s student capacity to 1,400, and the government says eight portables that are currently on the school property will be removed once construction is complete.
“Students in our community are continuing to see the benefit of increased provincial investment in Chilliwack schools over the past three years, with new and expanded schools being built where they’re needed most,” said Dan Coulter, chair of the Chilliwack Board of Education. “I can’t wait to see G.W. Graham students learning in brand-new classrooms, just as they will be soon at other new and expanded schools in Chilliwack.”
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The G.W. Graham expansion is the latest in a series of projects within the Chilliwack School District.
Over the last three years, the provincial government has invested $115.2 million. According to a Ministry of Education news release, the money is creating 2,200 new student seats and eliminating the equivalent of 90 portables.
Projects include the construction of a 930-seat elementary school on the south side of the freeway, the construction of 600-seat Imagine High on the north side and a 240-seat addition at Vedder elementary school.
“Families in Chilliwack deserve to see their children learning in the best possible environments,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education. “With yet another new expansion project coming to Chilliwack, even more students will benefit from positive, engaging and inspiring classrooms, and their educational experience will be better as a result.”
The Chilliwack School District’s five year plan for capital projects released last year calls for several other projects aimed at easing the strain on an overburdened system.
Among the projects still in the ‘need funding’ category; a 400-seat plus gymnasium addition to Sardis secondary, a 300-seat add-on to Cheam elementary, a 300-seat addition to Vedder middle school, a 250-seat expansion to Watson elementary and a 250-seat addition to Cultus Lake elementary.
Further down the road, the Chilliwack School District hopes to purchase land for a new middle school in Promontory, targeting the 2024-25 school year.
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