More classrooms on way for Vernon school

Students at BX Elementary School will soon say goodbye to portables, thanks to a $11.1 million dollar investment from the provincial government.

B.C. Education Minister Rob Fleming arrived at the elementary school to announce the news to students, on Friday.

Fleming announced 10 new classrooms for BX Elementary #vernonbc . They are hoping to have it completed by Sept 2021 pic.twitter.com/lJUgRUYl2H

— Tiffany Goodwein (@misstiff_94) May 24, 2019

“Your school has been growing, a lot right? You have lots of portables outside, five now I think, you got crowded classrooms. I already tripped on the hockey nets on the way here, and we need to do something about that,” he said to the students at B.X Elementary School.

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The investment from the province will provide an additional 240 seats for the school, which is enough for approximately 10 classrooms.

Construction on the new expansion is set to begin in spring 2020, and the province hopes to complete the project by Sept. 2021.

“We are most excited for all the great things like being connected to the school, the new technology, more space, more storage, movement and a more modern design,” said Grade 5 student Mena Bhatt.

“After three years in a portable, some things we won’t miss are de-icing the pathway to the school, switching shoes when you come in or out, and I would like to know what’s up with the bars in the window?” said Grade 5 student Oliver Dyck.

The school’s overcapacity rate stands at 147 per cent with 442 students enrolled at BX Elementary School

Once the expansion is complete, the province says the capacity will to drop to 85 per cent, allowing more room to grow, which is much appreciated by the district.

“This expansion will provide our students and staff a great place to learn, to grow, and to work, and I would like to thank our minister because this addition is more of an investment in our children, and this addition will be a great return on investment for students now and in the years to come,” said District 22 Board Chair Robert Lee.

The district will provide $425,000 for the expansion which will be the first for the district since 2003-2004.

BX Elementary has gone through six separate expansions since being constructed in 1961.

The funding announcement is part of a much larger $1.1 billion capital investment made by the education ministry.

The province says $484 million has been spent in less than two years to create 7,670 new student seats, which will eliminate an estimated 330 portables across B.C.