Two schools in 性视界传媒 are receiving additional space soon, but one of the projects raises some issues for the school board.
At the regular January school board meeting on Wednesday (Jan. 15), trustees heard multiple presentations on the constructed additions to be built at two elementary schools.
Forsyth Road Elementary will be getting a two-storey addition, attached to the school with 14 classrooms, to open in spring 2028. The central city school's addition will be fitted with inclusive education spaces, staff support areas, kindergarten rooms and other features.
"It鈥檚 possible for us to build this with minimal interruption to the existing site," said architect Michel Labrie.
Meanwhile, the addition planned for George Greenaway in Cloverdale will have construction beginning this summer, with the addition to open fall 2026. However, while bringing 14 new classrooms for 350 students in the two-storey building, this addition will not be attached to the existing school.
When asked why by trustee Garry Thind, architect Craig Burns said it is unfortunately not "practical."
"The existing school is not sprinklered and so, likely, attaching the new building would trigger a number of upgrades to the existing school that would be costly and, frankly, unnecessary given that a lot of the population is in portable classrooms now, so they鈥檝e got a pattern of use that makes this a good place for the expansion," Burns further explained.
The architect also said that if the existing school in the future were to be demolished and rebuilt, this addition would still likely not be able to attach to that new building, given the design construction.
"I still can鈥檛 get away from the fact that my preference would have been for it to be joined to the school. This school board has worked tirelessly to try to remove portables and often to make sure that everything is a part of the school," said board vice-chair Terry Allen.
"If it鈥檚 not, then access to the gym, access to other classrooms will be similar to what it is now from portable classrooms and for that, it somewhat disappoints me."
