Closing Westside high school appears to have been a mistake
Board to mull building new school to ease crowding at Mount Boucherie Secondary
Fifteen years after the closure of George Pringle Secondary left West Kelowna with only one high school, the school board is considering opening another one to address overcrowding in the growing city.
The conversation began Wednesday during a meeting of the planning and facilities committee.
“No decisions will be made,” said Moyra Baxter, board chair. “It’s more about receiving the information and the committee (members) saying whether they think they need any more information.”
In 2002, the board voted to close George Pringle Secondary and transform it into an elementary school.
“It wasn’t without resistance and controversy from the public,” said Baxter. “I don’t think at that time the staff who made the recommendation predicted how much the Westside would grow.”
Baxter voted against the closure at the time. But, since then, she has focused on moving forward and making the best of it, she said.
“I think the main thing is that we don’t have crystal balls,” she said. “Although we don’t always agree, I think all the trustees make decisions based on what they think is best at the time. We just have to move forward and see what we can do.”
By 2025, the school population on the Westside is predicted to grow by 1,014 students.
In addition to adding a high school in West Kelowna, the district plans to change the grade configuration of all schools in the Central Okanagan so elementary school will go to Grade 5 instead of Grade 6, middle school will be Grades 6-8 and high school will be Grades 9-12.
Seven options are before the board for the Westside, including converting Mount Boucherie Secondary into a Grade 9-12 school, building a 750-student secondary school at the former Webber Road Elementary site and converting George Pringle Elementary to a 750-student Grade 9-12 secondary school.
The steering committee is recommending converting Glenrosa Middle to a 750-student Grade 9-12 secondary school and building a 650-student Grade 6-8 middle school on the Pringle site while maintaining the current George Pringle Elementary school as is.
The total estimated cost of this option is $29 million.
“When I first became a trustee, we didn’t think we needed any new school on the Westside,” said Baxter. “The Westside has grown tremendously in the past 15 years.”
Once a decision is made, the district will present its recommendations to the Ministry of Education.
“It could be five, six, seven, eight years before anything is done,” said Baxter. “It’s a waiting game to see where you are on the priority list and when the money is forthcoming, and you never really know from day to day until they suddenly tell you you’re approved.”