Several schools in the Delta School District are getting a provincial funding boost for upgrades.
The government this week announced the district will receive a total of $1,545,000.
The funding will be directed to projects under the School Enhancement Program (SEP) for interior construction upgrades at Heath Traditional Elementary and Sunshine Hills Elementary, as well as electrical upgrades at Port Guichon Elementary and accessible playground equipment at Heath. Port Guichon is also getting upgrades under the Carbon Neutral Capital Program (CNCP).
A Delta School District staff report last June outlined a series of proposed capital projects, a wish list that requires provincial funding. The school board each year submits its list of proposed projects that fall under either major capital plan or minor capital plan streams.
Leading the list of major capital plan projects is an expansion of Ladner Elementary.
The report noted that the latest enrollment projections forecast for Delta indicate that enrollment will continue its slow recovery from years of decline and that there is system- wide classroom capacity to accommodate the expected number of students for the foreseeable future.
However, the district is seeing a rapid increase in school-aged children in certain areas.
As a result, staff proposed the district request a six-classroom addition at Ladner Elementary, a project that would have an estimated price tag of more than $8.2 million.
The expansion would allow for the projected increase of elementary school-aged children within the catchment in the next three-to-seven years, according to the report.
Meanwhile, staff noted that there are currently no Delta schools which have reached or are forecast to reach the end and need to be replaced.
