The capital project priority list has been updated for the Kamloops-Thompson School District.

Board Chair Rhonda Kershaw says the ministry of education changed their ask two years ago and have split it into new schools versus expansions versus replacements. “I think really for the board at this time anything that increases our capacity for seats in the city of Kamloops at this point would be a welcomed addition. We don’t have the ability to say that we would prefer a new school over an expansion, the ministry is the one that decides that. But, really anything for us that would alleviate some of space pressures would be welcomed.”

In terms of a timeline for when some of these projects will be getting underway, Kershaw says the district does not get to have much of a say on that. “Ideally for us in the district, we know that all five of these schools will be required in the next 10 years to maintain our capacity at around 100%. The other school that I should not that has dropped off the list, but doesn’t exists yet is Pineview Valley. The reason that it’s not on the list is because it is considered as supported. We’re hoping to see that school into the system with in for to five years, hopefully four. Really all of these are required.”

Brocklehurst Middle School was the only school that was listed at needing an expansion. “When we look at school expansion projects part of what we look at is where they are located in the city. Whether or not the building that we would be attaching that expansion project to is within a time frame that it’s realistic to not just request a replacement and whether there is space on the land. So the Brocklehurst Middle School fits that criteria and none of the other ones that we require do. Most of the school stock within the district is over the 50 year time frame and that is really getting to be an old building at that point. Why would you expand an old building that you know you’re going to have to replace in the not too distant future. That’s why we’ve moved them to school replacement projects.”

With the lengthy list of required capital work, Kershaw says Kamloops seems to be experiencing an increase in enrollment within the city proper over and above what other districts are seeing. “And we see that city wide with immigration. The real estate market is booming also which causes pressure on our schools. So we definitely are seeing it more than a lot of other districts… we’re definitely up there in our growth rates.”

New School Projects Priority
1 New elementary school in Batchelor Heights
2 New secondary school in Aberdeen
3 New elementary school in Juniper Ridge west
4 New K-12 school in Sun Peaks
5 New elementary school in Aberdeen East

Site Acquisition Priority
1 New secondary school in Aberdeen
2 New elementary school in Aberdeen East
3 New elementary school in Aberdeen West

School Expansion Project Priority
1 Brocklehurst Middle School Addition

School Replacement Projects Priority
1 Dallas Elementary Replacement
2 South Kamloops Secondary Replacement
3 Bert Edwards Elementary Replacement
4 Kay Bingham Elementary Replacement
5 Raft River Elementary Replacement
6 AE Perry Elementary Replacement
7 Marion Schilling Elementary Replacement
8 Beattie Elementary Replacement