The new, two-storey addition at Promontory Heights elementary will have wider hallways to accommodate the larger numbers of students in the building.
It's perhaps a minor detail, but it's one that illustrates the many difficulties of Chilliwack's overcrowded schools. It was mentioned in passing by secretary treasurer Gerry Slykhuis at Tuesday's board meeting, just before trustees approved the spending of $1.3 million of their operating budget toward the $6.1 million expansion project.
As expected, the board voted unanimously (Trustee Silvia Dyck absent) to approve the expansion; the board has been pushing for increased student space for years, and Promontory was sitting at 196 per cent capacity.
READ MORE: Chilliwack MLAs announce long-awaited funding for overcrowded Promontory school.
The addition will not only alleviate crowding at Promontory, it will allow the school to be rid of at least some of the eight portables in use there. Well over 200 students are in portables, as young as Grade 2.
Crowded hallways aren't the only issue with crowded schools. The lack of bathroom space, flex space, and gym time all constrain students and teachers considerably.
But portables aren't going anywhere anytime soon, noted Slykhuis.
"We're starting to face the fact that these are not a temporary solution anymore," he said.
That means the district will be looking at ways to place portables in ways they could be connected with hallways, for example, to create "usable space" for teachers and create a more inclusive atmosphere for students.
As noted by Trustee Heather Maahs during the meeting, there are even portables that could be bought that have washroom facilities. As it stands, students in portables need to battle the elements and head into the main school to use the washroom.
There are still many schools that are bursting at the seams, with no sign of Chilliwack's population growth slowing down. And that was really the theme of this week's meeting. A discussion and vote also took place surrounding Unsworth elementary's catchment area. The board voted unanimously to close the school to out-of-catchment area students. While siblings will be grandfathered in, only those living within the catchment can register there from now on.
It was an important step in keeping that small school from bursting, said assistant superintendent Rohan Arul-pragasam. He presented several city maps of build-out plans for the surrounding area, with entire new neighbourhoods being established by developers. They include Webster's Landing and Rivers Edge.
Enrolment at Unsworth has been increasingly steadily, and is already at 133 per cent capacity with 513 students across 21 divisions. September this year, portables will be moved there to handle the influx of students already expected, and storage space is being maximized to create additional learning spaces. As experienced at all overcrowded, land-locked schools, the parking lots is also facing increased pressures.
The projection for 2021, without considering new housing starts, is 570 students.
What the Chilliwack school district is really pushing for is a new school.
They have about $3.5 million set aside for land acquisition, but haven't announced plans to purchase any land yet. However, a new south side school is on its capital funding wish list, and has been for years.
Tuesday's meeting was revelatory in many ways, as superintendent Evelyn Novak suggested it may not be just one, but two new schools that Chilliwack is seeking. Or perhaps, a school somewhat like Rosedale Traditional, that holds both elementary and middle students.
But that will be further down the line. The district has more pressing matters right now, as they prep for the construction at Promontory. That will take place mostly through the summer break, with a potential completion date of spring 2018.
The meeting also included the long-awaited results of a community consultation on reconfiguration. The presentation was to be held at a previous meeting, but was held over when the meeting was cancelled due to inclement weather.